Fate - Verbrennung
by CasualAuthor
Summary: Daniel Müller, a German FGO player wakes up one morning to find the franchise has ceased to exist. Soon he finds himself in the ranks of Chaldea unwillingly, armed with knowledge of how the story will unfold. Will he be able to stop the incineration of humanity and rescue those damned to die in the game? "Hold my beer, Dr. Roman. I'm rayshifting in!" Current title is a placeholder.
1. Prologue: The start of an end

Small note from this lazy author:

'Sup people, here's a chapter for a story I had been thinking about recently for a few days. It was too fun to pass up as just thoughts, so I decided to write it down. This one is one of those lazy self-inserts, without the usual trope of Zeltrech being a dick about everything. Right now a lot of questions are unanswered, especially as to why the OC is caught in the scenario. I don't know how original the concept is, but he, like myself, has played through NA FGO. So if I know stuff without looking it up, he will as well. There will be some significant changes down the line for the story, as some things get foiled by the main character, and other problems arise because of that. I haven't planned out anything yet outside of a few guideline rules I use to make this story easier for me, and everyone else.

So here are some funny 'patch notes' if you will.

**Give the man a break:** There will be an unfixed amount of time between each singularity. Since Chaldea is working with few members, I assume preparations for a rayshift take time.

**Unlimited Servant Works:** Each servant that is in the game can be summoned and there can be more than one form of servant around. This will be limited by the protagonists luck (my simulated rolls).

**Wait... Is that me?!:** If a servant appears in a major singularity and play a main role in it, they are highly unlikely to be summoned before then.

**You don't count:** Some servants play absolute minor roles in singularities and can be summoned regardless.

**Fan's Favorite:** There will be times when I ask the readers to comment with whom they want to be summoned. Those characters can be some who only appear later down the line.

**Been there, done that:** Servants remember the events from singularities. I feel like this was a cop-out by the writers to make things easier on the devs/budget.

**Silent Bystanders:** It makes sense for a mobile game with a cast of infinite potential outcomes, but servants in the party will interact with the stories of the singularities instead of only 'standing by for action'.

**Legend Lore (F-Rank):** Prepare to get your jimmies rustled, because I will likely end up writing something that doesn't make much sense in the universe of Fate at some point.

**Gacha is Life:** Summoning will work as it does in the game, but only for craft essences and servants. No embers or Fous to use here.

**Artistic License Magic:** Craft Essences will appear as fragments of lore that can be fused (equipped) to a servant to bolster their strength.

**Powered by Friendship:** Friend Points summon are real. Though instead of calling them friend points, this is normal magic power that is slowly being accumulated by the system as singularities unravel. Blame the amazing genius of Da Vinci, if you will.

* * *

Some days are worse than others. Mondays in particular are the worst. That is, if you have to get up and work after a relaxing weekend of doing nothing with your free time. For me it's different, you see. I finally got two weeks of from my boss over at the supermarket to enjoy the beginning of summer. So as any rational human would I started my first day of not working by staying in bed way beyond reasonable. My plan for this particular Monday was especially indolent. Sleep until noon, get up, don't shower, grab something to bite and spend the rest of the day browsing the internet or watch television.

A plan fit for a sloth like me, but rarely does the plan survive contact or something along those lines.

I rolled over to my side and reached with my arm to something on my nightstand. The dim light in the room let me fumble around without any success, leaving my wondering if my mobile phone had fallen off the table in the night or if I had gone senile in my twenties. I just wanted to play some Fate/Grand Order before leaving the comfort of my bed. My daily login streak won't keep itself going if I don't put in the effort. A man and his saint quartz may not be separated for more than a day or else he will go insane.

With annoyance I sat up and squinted my eyes towards the furniture, attempting to get a glimpse at my outdated phone. The bloody thing was nowhere to be seen! I turned around and examined the sheets of my mattress. It seems in my sleep deprived state I had decided my phone would work as a relaxing surface to nap on, as the blank screen of the gadget contrasted well with the white of the sheet. I grabbed the phone and fell back on my pillow, only to get up again and fix that part of my sleeping utensils, as it had deformed badly throughout the night.

"Time for a little bit of a grind." I thought to myself as I began swiping across the screen to find the game. To my surprise, the shortcut was missing from it's usual place. I didn't remember moving it, and I surely didn't possess the mechanical awareness in my sleep to do anything close to do something like that. Upon the absence of the icon I began going through the various screens of my phone, hoping to spot it out of place among the rest of apps I had installed, though the endeavor proved itself futile.

"I didn't delete it in my sleep, did I?"

With mild concern I began to open the shop on my phone and entered the name of the game in the search bar. Perhaps if I reinstalled it my progress would still be safe? It would be a harsh blow to lose my Enkidu, Gramps and my newly summoned Mordred to a mistake made from sweet dreams, but in the worst case I still had my secondary account with Musashi to fall back on.

To my utter surprise the search hadn't yielded any results in the appstore, leaving me dumbfounded. Had the game been removed from the store? I mean, some characters had gotten really kinky, and I wouldn't put it beyond Google to remove the game for featuring some questioning art like Chloe's final ascension...

Well, whatever. No crying over spilt milk. With a frown I decided that I might as well begin the day by actually keeping to my schedule. The phone was quickly connected to the recharger and disposed back on the table and with a groan I stood up from my bed. For clothes I just grabbed the ones I had haphazardly discarded on the floor the day before. Wide and worn, gray track pants, perfect for lazing about, a blue shirt and some fresh socks from my nightstand. Once I dressed myself I began marching towards the bathroom.

Upon my throne made from porcelain I began truly waking up and pondered the disappearance of Fate from my phone. It seems like my day would begin with some research into what exactly happened to the app while I slept. If I can't play that would mean I couldn't grind the current event to get my free four star berserker and the fool's chains required to ascend my Gramps to level 80. And grinding an event for more than just one material seemed way more interesting than constantly going back to Camelot to grind the same three fights over and over again.

With a sigh I finished my time in the bathroom and went back to my living room/bedroom. It's a small apartment, sue me. On the way to my computer I made a stop at the fridge and grabbed some milk and a few slices of bread. Sustenance goes a long way when starting the day annoyed.

* * *

The internet didn't take long to produce the results I had searched for, for there were none. The subreddit for the game, I visited sometimes to get news and read discussions had completely vanished, and Uncle Google didn't yield any results for my query either.

In total disbelief I went to Discord to contact my friend who was the only other one in my circle who played the game. Luckily, he was online. He would be leaving for work shortly, surely. But the short frame of time I had would be enough to question the whereabouts of the game.

"Hey, has FGO been deleted or something?" I typed, hoping for a quick response. If he had experienced the same issue then this would resolve some questions, but would lead to a more in-depth research on the topic of the game.

"FGO?" was all he had typed. I audibly groaned upon reading that. The dude was always big on annoying people and usually I wouldn't fall for it, but I wasn't up for games at this moment.

I was swift in my response, typing out the full name of the game and asking if it was also missing from his phone, and deleted from the playstore. Additionally, I let him know that I wasn't interested in being trolled this early in the morning.

"I have no clue what you are talking about." That did it. I only responded with an annoyed "k then" and went back to the search engine. If he decided to not be of any help, then questioning him further won't solve this mystery.

"Since when do you play games on your phone?" popped up in the corner of my screen and I clicked on the annotation to get back to the chat, as dread filled me. This wasn't some kind of long time groundhog day scenario from before I played this game, was it? But that wouldn't make sense either.

"What do you mean? I have played FGO for almost a year now. I even have you on my friendlist. So stop being a troll for a minute and let me know what you know."

"Dude, I have no idea what you are talking about. I don't even play any games on my phone, so why would we play together?" Obviously the answer wasn't as eloquent as I had hoped, but it felt sincere and not like the usual attempt at misleading someone this person was known for in my group of friends.

While we had the short conversation on the one hand, the results for anything related to fate on the internet drew blanks, and it left me visibly confused. Nothing I entered into the bar brought up anything regarding the whole franchise. All I got were some astrology websites and other unrelated news to the topic. Heck, even searching for the author of the series, the studio or anything that is tied to Fate didn't do the trick. It appeared that over night everything to do with Fate had ceased to exist.

* * *

I spent the next hour scouring the web for anything that could give me a lead. Something strange was going on, and if I didn't find the answer I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Currently I was taking a break from my research and stood in front of my mirror. My short brown hair was unruly from the amount of times I dragged my fingers through it in search of answers. My dark brown eyes appeared closed halfway as if to recover from the strain of concentration. I brought my hands down upon my slightly rounded cheeks with a resounding slap. It stung, but it reminded me that this was reality.

"Come on Daniel. It couldn't have been a dream. You spent too many a day on the grind for it not to be real." Dreams could never be that vivid, especially spanning such a long frame of time. I clearly remember everything, and something this big could never realistically cease to exist in the span of a night.

I was brought out of my reality check by the sound of the doorbell ringing. It spooked me wide awake, as I rarely had visitors, and I wasn't expecting any post. I glanced back at the mirror once before I went to the intercom and made myself known.

"Yes, this is Daniel Müller?"

I waited for a moment for the other person to respond, but whoever had ringed my doorbell had the gall not to answer. Once more I introduced myself, hoping for an answer. When there was none, I put the speaker back on the intercom. It's way too early to go for pranks. Damn man-children going around ringing on bells and running on a Monday. As I turned around the doorbell rang again. With an annoyed sigh I picked up the speaker again.

"Daniel Müller, who is there?" My question was met with silence and in my frustration at the start of the day I let it be known. "Stop ringing my bell, will you?"

It would surely fuel the mean streak of whoever was pranking me, but next time I would be sneaky about it. Just as I placed the speaker back on the intercom the bell rang again. This time I would go and confront the dickhead directly. I put on my slippers and went for the front door. This apartment complex wasn't like some others. This whole complex was a bunch of buildings connected by a portico that spanned over three levels. And this time I would peek over the railing outside my front door to see who was being an asshole this early in the day, but I was stopped in my tracks when I opened the front door.

Because right in front of me stood a woman in a black suit. We are talking professional appearance here and it made me gulp. "Hello Mr. Müller, my name is Evie Gilroy." I wasn't prepared for that, as I stammered around in German before righting myself. I must have looked like a slob, with my unkempt appearance. This woman was clearly foreign as she had spoken English. This is Germany, dang it!

Straightening myself I coughed into my hand in order to assume a formal posture before replying in English as well. "Greetings, Ms. Gilroy, excuse me, but may I ask what you are here for?"  
On the outside calm and composed, but internally I was sweating and I had all reason to be cautious. I have never once in my life had to answer the door to an English person in a suit of all things. Even worse, they somehow got access to the portico, meaning they weren't trespassing. I was an upstanding citizen and didn't have a hand in any sort of criminal activity, so this was way beyond suspicious.

"Would you mind if we talk about my presence in your home?" she flashed me a smile as she asked. "Well I didn't clean up yet, so if we could n-" I was interrupted mid-sentence as she raised a hand. "I won't mind Mr. Müller." Well, there goes my only excuse to keep the strange lady of my back. With a strained smile I stepped back and opened the front door further, signaling this woman that intruding was okay.

She graciously made her way into my small apartment and I closed the door behind her. If this was a trashy horror movie this would be the point where I die. But that was highly unlikely as this was not in private at all. I assume someone had seen her. And the janitor surely opened the door for her in the first place. So if I was to be killed, then at least the police will have some leads, but enough fantasizing.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I am afraid I don't have a table or chairs for guests, as I am living here by myself." The woman only smiled at my pathetic excuse of living in a one-man cave. "That will be fine, Mr. Müller, this won't take long anyways."

Great god, if someone says that with a pleasant smile it can only go wrong for the recipient. Perhaps I had a mountain of debt I didn't know about and they were sent to collect it? Whatever it could be, it left me fearing for the worst.

"You see, Mr. Müller. I am working for the United Nations Organization. You have participated in a test and your results are beyond excellent for what we are searching for. The reason why I had been sent here was to let you know that you have been chosen to participate in the project for the foreseeable future."

I was stunned and I made it known by gaping at the woman. "Yo, hold on a second there. I am pretty sure I didn't participate in any test of any kind. And I can't just leave because I work at the supermarket here."

Ms. Gilroy moved her hand to the breast pocket on the inside of her suit and pulled out a small piece of paper before handing it to me. With haste I opened the folded paper to read it's contents. It was all some business and science gibberish that I couldn't make sense of in my current state of mind, but somewhere along the lines was my signature consenting to partaking in a test to check for suitability by means of blood.

"You have been selected to become part of the UN-sanctioned program of Finis Chaldea, you won't be able to decline, as preparations have already made for your arrival. Your current job has been terminated by the upper departments. For your safety I will now cast a spell on you. Don't worry, your family and friends have been told that you will be going overseas for a few months on an extended holiday."

I looked up and wanted to protest, but my body stopped responding to my commands. And before I knew it, I had grown sleepy. I hit the ground as my eyes closed and I embraced the feeling of being asleep.

* * *

When I came back to my senses I was surrounded by a vast space of black color. There wasn't anything to be seen anywhere. Turning around myself didn't change anything. Heck, I couldn't even see my own hands.

"Yo, am I blind? What did you do to me?!" I shouted through the darkness.

Slowly my mind began to recollect itself and I began remembering what led me to this strange situation. I can remember falling asleep but for some reason I was standing and wide awake now. This didn't make any sense, but there was more pressing matters, but as I was about to shout again a voice resonated in my head with an unacceptable volume, leaving me cringing.

**"Base sequence confirmed to be human genome. Spiritual Vessel's attribute confirmed to be Chaotic Neutral"**

At least they got my Dungeons and Dragons alignment right.

**"Welcome to the data center for the future of humankind. This is the Security Organization for the Preservation of Humanity, Chaldea."**

Fuck, hell. No. This wasn't going to happen. I wouldn't let that happen. I knew these words and what they spelled for my sorry hide. I was about to become the 48th master of Chaldea, and from my experience with the game, this would mean I would get into all manner of fucked up scenarios. Facing Beast II in a video game? Hell yeah, easy going. Potentially facing her in the flesh? Nope, nope, nope. Get me off of this wild ride, because I am not ready to die!

**"Fingerprint, voiceprint, and DNA authentication cleared. Magical Circuit assessment complete."**

Wait, I had magical circuits? I could cast magic? Never mind, sign me up. Let me try to 'trace on' some Gae Bolgs!

**"Username matched. You are recognized as a member of the primates."**

Well, no shit there Sherlock. Wait... if this is Chaldea and I become a master... could that mean I could potentially wait for Sherlock and then drop this magnificent line? Sign me up harder!

**"Nice to meet you. You're our final visitor today. We hope you enjoy your time here."**

With that the voice stopped ringing in my head and left me muttering "At least turn on the lights." It's rude to wish for someone to have a great time and leave them standing in the dark. Is that how you greet newcomers?

**"We are very sorry."** Finally you admit to goofing? **"Another 180 seconds is needed to complete the admission process."** Scratch that. Automatic voice can't feel sorry for me. **"Enjoy a simulated battle while you wait."** I was about to voice my concerns when the voice cut into my sentence once more. **"Regulation: Senior. Contract Servants: Saber, Lancer, Archer. There will be no record of your score. Please feel free to enjoy."** Like hell I will! Who simulates battles for fun anyways!

But the darkness before my eyes flashed white, as I soon found myself standing in a vast open, grassy area with hills all around me. Some lone trees grew on some of the higher areas and a few rocks littered the landscape. Before me stood three individuals I knew well. Perhaps too well.

Because in front of me stood Artoria Pendragon – Fate's depiction of King Arthur of Britain, Cu Chulainn – Hound of Ulster and one of my favorite heroes from the franchise and poor ol' Arash, totally out of place compared to the other two heroic spirits. I audibly gasped at seeing those three in person and I my mind went blank at the prospect of this being reality.

Like some I enjoy reading fanfiction. I like reading in general, but sometimes you want to read about some familiar stuff, but before we go off on a tangent... you see in almost all works depicting these heroes people write as if the mere presence of someone with the charisma of Artoria will make you want to follow them. As a pragmatic person with a good amount of sarcasm I dismissed that as fanservice, and surprisingly, I am somewhat correct. Though the way the king held herself was remarkable and royal as can be, there was something missing that made my subconscious chuckle in vain pleasure. You see, in anime and the game, most characters height is equalized or they are likely surrounded by other characters that are as tall as they are in their depictions. Something along the lines of small people of Japan, but seeing that I towered over Artoria by more than a good foot shattered the initial concepts of 'if she wanted to, she could kick your butt'.

Cu Chulainn and Arash on the other hand seemed to be as tall as I am, maybe off by one or two inches, but they at least weren't the size of a young teenager where I am from. Also anime and games can't compare to reality. Seeing isn't feeling, but for some reason I could feel the power of those three as they merely stood there, probably waiting for my instructions.

I was interrupted from my observations by a low rumbling sound further ahead, as a stone golem climbed out of the earth. Unlike me or my servants, the humanoid amalgamate of rubble stood tall at around 3 meters (10 feet), towering over all of us puny humans. And as we spotted it, it spotted us and began to slowly approach us. This was probably the signal for me to give some commands.

And let me tell you, I would surely give some commands, but I couldn't find the interface anywhere! Where's my command cards, Delight Works? How am I supposed to fight without being able to choose my attacks? Well at least this also meant that the golem wouldn't atta-

I suddenly found myself in the air as Arash had grabbed me by the waist. The stone golem had closed the distance between us with blinding speed and brought it's fist down where I had stood a moment ago. On a positive side of things, I could see myself again!

Arash gently placed me back on the ground before facing the golem again. Reality is a harsh mistress. This wasn't turn-based combat. And my currently dodging servants seemed to wait for something. I blinked.  
Wait, they don't expect me to just micromanage whatever the servants have to do, are they?

"Guys, attack!" I shouted from behind Arash, hoping to have the servants quickly dispatch the stone golem. But to my surprise they didn't actually move. Artoria and Cu were dancing around the golem, evading attacks, but didn't counterattack. Even Arash still hadn't drawn an arrow to fire.  
How the heck was I supposed to command them then?  
If a shout of 'guys, attack!' doesn't do the trick, then what does? It took a few more seconds before I came up with a new strategy. I looked at Arash and pondered something.

"Hey, Arash. Can you hear me?" my question fell on deaf ears as Arash continued to stare at the golem, as if he hadn't heard me. Oh right. I wasn't supposed to know their names, was I? The announcer had clearly called them by their classes. Saber, Lancer and Archer. So perhaps I was meant to address them in the same manner? Well, there goes my "Cu! Get 'em with yer Gay Bulge!" in a mocking Irish accent. But beggars can't be choosers.

"Archer, can you hear me?" I asked again, this time putting emphasis on the name of his class. To my mild surprise the brown haired man nodded without turning around even slightly. "Okay, archer can you talk?" contrary to my expectations the archer didn't seem to react once more. I sighed. Simulations suck. But I digress, time to get this show on the road.

"Archer quick attack, Lancer use your Protection from Arrows and Saber, strike with a buster attack once you see an opening!"

In an instant Arash had fired two arrows at the golem that pierced the soundbarrier, hitting the golem as Cu was dancing around it with the help of his spear. Seeing that the construct was getting frustrated with the blue lancer Artoria took the chance to jump at it from above the lancer, driving her glowing Excalibur home in the shoulder of the golem before gripping it tightly and jumping away. Upon landing the king found herself caught in a barrage of fisticuffs from our opponent and I saw the opportunity for Cu to strike it's exposed back. Quickly I shouted my commands.  
"Cu hit him- I mean, Lancer! Go for a buster attack followed by a quick attack and another buster attack!" the Irishman reacted to my commands instantly, ramming his polearm into the ground to vault over it and slam the blade of the weapon in the foe. He then quickly yanked it out of the stone to quickly strike twice before attempting a giant cleave. The golem who had trouble hitting Artoria turned around to strike at his new attacker and interrupted the lancer who was mid-swing with a brutal strike to his spandex-covered chest, sending him flying.

"Shit, Archer, get me over to Lancer." Arash didn't wait for me to finish my command before I found myself whisked away at impossible speeds. When I felt solid ground beneath my feet I we had already moved around the golem, around 50 meters (160 feet) to the left of it. To my dismay, the golem was still focused on the downed Cu, and I couldn't see Artoria, but I assumed she was blocked from my vision by the hulking silhouette of the giant construct. "Saber, keep him busy!" this clearly wasn't a concise command, but it seemed to work, as the golem faltered for a moment before turning away from us. "Archer, go help Saber." with a nod Arash began running back to his original position, firing arrows as he went.

I turned my eyes towards Cu Chulainn who kneeled next to me, bruised by the powerful punch the golem delivered. Either skills don't work like I think they do, or Cu didn't use it. I couldn't be sure, and in the current situation I would need something else entirely.

"I cast emergency aid on Cu Chulainn!" I loudly declared as I pointed my hand towards the lancer. To my disappointment nothing happened. Couldn't this be any easier? Where's my ability to use my mystic code? I was wearing it wasn't I? Looking down I was greeted by the white outfit of Chaldea. Hadn't even noticed I was wearing the latest fashion in this place until now. Well, I want my money back, because the thing doesn't even work. If whittling down the enemy wasn't an option this time, it left me with one option only.

"Saber, unleash your Excalibur!" I shouted to the heavens, fully expecting Artoria to fire the golden sword beam to end this quickly, before realizing that I probably shouldn't be calling it Excalibur yet. Oops, my bad. Let me try again.

"Saber, use your Noble Phantasm!" A brief pain surged through my right hand as the woman began holding up her sword, golden motes of light swirling around it. I looked down to see one of my command seals vanishing from the back of my hand. Okay, I was the 48th master. Shit hit the fan. I recovered from my stupor when a giant flash of light streaked by me, merely missing me by a few inches before culminating in a spectacular explosion of golden energy way behind me.  
I blinked. Arash blinked. He seemed as flabbergasted as I was. I looked towards Cu... wait, where was Cu?!

The swordbeam of Excalibur had vaporized everything in it's path, including the blue lancer. I only looked in horror as I realized, Cu Chulainn had died. And everything faded to black once more.

* * *

Sometime after losing consciousness I felt my cheek being licked by something, accompanied with the most adorable sounds of "Fou, Fou!"

I opened my eyes to see a silver-pink haired person standing in front of me, looking down in concern. Beneath my head was a strange being, of course I knew what it was, but I would be lying if I said I didn't expect it to be this fluffy. I groaned before lifting myself from the cold metal floor. What a place to fall asleep.

"Umm. Since it's neither morning nor night, please wake up, Senpai." the girl in front of me said in a meek voice. I shakily stood on my feet, clutching my face. Was this hallway spinning, or is it just me?

"Ugh... where am I?" was all I could muster in this situation. I knew who this girl before me was. Mash Kyrielight, the always reliable Kouhai to any master who played the game.

"Ah, that's a simple question. Thank goodness. This is the corridor leading from the front gate to the central control room. In sketchy terms, this is Chaldea's front gate." Mash answered in a bored manner-of-fact voice. I glanced around. The white walls, white floors and white ceiling made this look like somewhere from Kamino in Star Wars. Hello there, General Kenobi.

"Ahem, Either way, can I ask you a question Senpai?" with a fake cough Mash critically eyed me.

"You were asleep, but I don't see why you'd sleep in the hall." I rolled my eyes in exasperation. Did the poor girl really think I slept on any metal floor. I have standards! Cold tiles will do when drinking, but now that I think about it... did I drink any alcohol without knowing? My throat is parched and I feel like I have the worst hangover minus the headache.

"Can you not sleep unless you're on a hard bed?" if it wasn't Mash and I didn't know her better I would berate her for asking stupid questions, but as it was, I was more preoccupied with why the hell I had been lying on the floor in an apparently important hallway.

"I actually have no clue why I was lying here, to be honest." I answered sheepishly. What a way to make a first impression.

"Yes, you slept like a log. It was such a deep sleep, it was almost textbook." I tried to grin at that, but my attempt at humor failed when another wave of nausea set in and I almost lost my footing. Mash stared curiously at me as I righted myself once more. Fou in the meantime had climbed up the girl to sit on her shoulder, looking at me in a mischievous manner. The little critter made it's sound and Mash turned to look at it.

"I completely forgot. I still haven't introduced you yet, have I, Fou?" Despite already knowing who and what exactly Fou is, I decided to keep silent. Call it a spur of moment, or rather keeping down the bile that threatened to spill out if I keep talking. I never was any good with nausea.

"This squirrel-like creature is Fou. He's a privileged life-form allowed to freely walk around Chaldea."

"And smuggle himself on all the rayshifts." was my addendum to Mash's introduction of the critter. But I didn't say that out loud.

Not interrupted by my snarky thoughts Mash continued with her introduction of Fou.

"Fou led me here, and that's how I ran into you, Senpai." Fou barked affirmatively from Mash' shoulder. How had no one figured out that Fou is something much more than just a 'squirrel'? I mean he appeared more intelligent than some people I know, though that might not say much. Mages in this universe, I swear...

"He ran off somewhere again. He does that sometimes, just walks around." I nodded, as I thought of a good answer, as Mash stared intently at me. Can't have this be a one-sided conversation.

"Does anyone know what kind of creature Fou is? I mean, I have seen a lot of different animals, but never something quite like this ball of fluff." I inquired, although secretly I knew the answer. But right now I couldn't make any comment indicating that I knew more than I let on. For all I know the leprechaun called Lev Lainur could be right around the corner listening in. As far as I remember he interrupted this conversation. I'd love to continue this track of thought, but Mash keeps on talking and I don't want to leave a bad impression on her.

"Nobody knows what exactly Fou is, maybe you could ask some of the more experienced staff members. Normally Fou doesn't go near anyone aside from me, but he seems to like you, Senpai."

I shrugged at that comment. Unless Fou decided to bite or kick me, I'd have no problem with him. "Congratulations. Now you shall be the second caretaker of Fou in Chaldea."

I gave a low chuckle and turned to Fou. "I hope you don't mind, Fou." He barked before a new voice interrupted, just like I predicted.

Around the corner stepped Lev Lainur. The tall, lanky man clearly didn't fit in with the rest of the facility, dressed in an olive green overcoat with fur trimmings under which he wore a rather normal black suit and tie. Seeing him up close in person made me wonder how no one suspected this guy. I mean, look at him. He wears a tie that has spikes on it! If a purple tie with spikes doesn't scream evil villain, then what does? Never mind that utterly ridiculous hat he is wearing. Even I can see that he's clearly faking his smile. Once again, I blame the single-minded mages of this world.  
Once he got closer I realized that the man was even taller than me by a few inches. He didn't seem to register me as he moved in to scold Mash.

"Ah, there you are, Mash. That won't do, you know, wandering about without permission." he then turned to me. "Oh, someone's already with you? You're..." he stopped for a moment before taking in my appearance. "Actually, I don't know who you are."

"My name is Daniel Müller. I am new here." I hesitantly spoke, careful not to sound nervous in any shape or form. This man was a demon pillar. Can't have him be suspicious of me yet. Usually he would know of the protagonist's arrival, but something was afoot. He then gave me a gentle smile before introducing himself as Lev Lainur, merely a technician that was employed here in Chaldea.

"I assume you are one of the 49 candidates. Welcome to Chaldea. I'm glad you're here." Oh, I hope you are, you god damned leprechaun.  
"I heard you were an outlier in the many public applicants. Normally we would only have 48 candidates, but there were quite a few talented people in the applications, so one more was chosen to join."

The world stopped for a moment. My heart raced at those words. 49 Candidates?! I thought I was number 48? This completely caught me off-guard. In the game there are only 48 candidates with you, the protagonist, being the last to arrive. This could either mean the protagonist, Ritsuka Fujimaru, was already in Chaldea, or would still be the last to arrive. This could completely throw the story off the rails! I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Lainur calling my name repeatedly.

"Mr. Müller are you there? You seem a bit out of it at the moment." I shook my head and focused back on the man in front of me. "Sorry, I just spaced out a bit. You know... big honor. And all that. Can't believe I made it here. Must be my lucky day, hahaha~" I chuckled nervously. "Anyway, sorry, what did you ask?"

"I asked how long your training was. A year? 6 months? 3 months?" I carefully chose my next words. Considering my reply he might perceive me as a threat, though I somehow doubt he will, given Solomon, or should I call him Goetia, just fucks off for seven whole singularities, only checking in at the halfway point to give a speech about all the effort you put in being in vain. I gave a lazy smirk to mask my insecurity and told Lainur that I had some experience, but he would have to see for himself.

"I see that you already know how competitive it is in here. You're going to hide your info from your rivals?"

The corners of my mouth drooped at his words. Some people thought of making sure humanity survives was a competition? "Well, I'm not here for the competition, I just want to give it my all." I almost spouted something about saving mankind, but caught myself before I did so. Mash chimed in at this stage.

"Dr. Lev, Müller's training was less than a few hours. I think it's from embarassment." Mash, if you weren't my always dependable Kouhai, I would gladly call you out for being a snitch! "Oh? Well, now... I see. We had an emergency opening for applicants to fill out numbers. So you're one of them? Do forgive me, I was inconsiderate."

I glanced back at Lev Lainur as he apologized halfheartedly. Don't take me serious... yet. You'll regret it sooner or later. "But please, don't be angry because you're a public applicant. We need all of you for this mission." Shit. I was glaring at him. Calm down, Daniel.

"38 elite mages, plus eleven talented public applicants... Somehow, we were able to gather all possible candidates." The elated tone in Lainur's voice sent a shiver down my spine. I had never up to this point realized how meticulously this whole incineration of mankind had been planned. But hearing that they had rounded up all possible candidates was a terrifying prospect.

"That's something to rejoice over. This year, 2017, all possible candidates capable of Spiritron Dives were brought to Chaldea."

Wait, when I woke up this morning it was sometime in June 2019? I must have looked visibly confused, as Lainur told me to ask him or Mash if there was anything I don't understand. I glanced at Mash, hoping the man would stop talking to me with that facade of friendliness. He followed my eyes and turned to Mash. "Come to think of it, what were you talking about with him, Mash? That's not like you. Did you know each other before?"

"No, I'd never met Senpai before. I saw him sleeping here, so I just..." Lev interrupted Mash elegantly "Sleeping? Mr. Müller was asleep, here?" He chuckled as he realized what had happened. "Ahh, you went through the simulation when you entered, right? Spiritron Dives can get to you if you're not used to them." Well, considering I can't even remember collapsing on the floor here, that simulation must have taxed me pretty damn well. Good thing the wave of nausea I had felt earlier had since made room for veiled fear in face of Lev Lainur.

"After the simulation, the gate must've opened and you walked over here before you returned to consciousness. It's a type of sleep-walking. When you fell, Mr. Müller, that was when Mash spoke to you." I scoffed internally at his words. Mash said I was fast asleep. And I sure as hell didn't make my way through a gate while sleep-walking. I never did that. The way the man in green spoke so casually about it made me doubt his truthfulness on the matter, not that I believed a word he spoke.  
"You seem to be fine, but I'd like to take you to the infirmary just in case..." I widened my eyes before composing myself. Wait, Dr. Roman, who I had yet to meet was supposed to also die in the explosion right. That means the infirmary was probably rigged as well! Fuck you, Lev. I'll just head to my room and not die, thank you.

"Sorry, hang in there a little longer. The Director's orientation is about to start. You should hurry over." I tilted my head to the side. "Wait, I thought- never mind that, actually. So... orientation?" Seems like I wouldn't be going to the infirmary after all.

Mash smiled at me. "Yes, to greet the Master candidates assigned here today like you." Lainur took over for Mash at that point. "In other words, it's for the big boss to welcome the careless newbies." I nodded at their words. "Since the Director is not the type to forgive and forget, if you show up late, you'll be on her radar for the entire year." Oh, yeah! Olga Marie. I had almost forgotten about her. Damn. "The orientation begins in five minutes in the Central Command Room. Go straight down this hall. Hurry." Lainur tried to urge me to head to the orientation, eh? If it was in the Command Room, that also meant it was the place where the bombs were placed.

Mash turned to the over-sized leprechaun. "Dr. Lev, do you think I'll be allowed to sit in on the orientation, too?" I drowned out the conversation between the two at this point. I had my first quests, so to speak. If I was to be the one to save the world, I'd at least try to save as many people as possible. But I also didn't want to die either. This left me with quite the conundrum. I had to leave the orientation and head somewhere safe. Like my room, but I also wanted to save the Director, as the poor girl never deserved what happened to her in the first place. Seriously, she might have been a dick in the first singularity, but after reading up on her later down the line I had recognized that she was merely overwhelmed by all the responsibilities. But how could I possibly safe her?

My musings were interrupted by Lev, when he called out to me.

"Yes, yes..." I mumbled. "I asked if there's anything else you want to know. What do you want to know then?"

"I have no questions actually. I think I might be under the effects of the simulation..."

If Lev Lainur didn't buy that excuse, he didn't show it in the slightest. Instead he nodded. "All right, let's get going. Stand up straight, but remember to relax, okay?" With those words spoken, I followed after the two, still deep in thought.

Getting kicked out of the Control Room shouldn't be too difficult. In the game you got the boot for merely drifting into a slumber. I could easily fake me being asleep, but that still didn't solve my question on how to safe Olga Marie from her unfortunate death.

As we continued down the hallway I pondered scenarios that I could pull off that might help other people survive. But to my dismay, those scenarios where few, and some of them are far from credible for me to pull off. It would take some kind of magic for them to work. A proverbial lightbulb turned on in my head. Magic. That's the key! The announcer from the simulation told me I had magic circuits! I still had no clue on how to actually use them, even more, I didn't know how to cast a single spell. The only spell I knew, well the chant at least, was to summon a heroic spirit! And if the third-rate mage Shirou can pull it off when getting punted by Cu Chulainn, then I should be able to do so as well!

Once we stepped through the gate into the command room I had formulated a plan to rescue some people. It was pretty simple. Act like I fell asleep in the orientation, get kicked out. Enter an empty room. Attempt to summon a heroic spirit and then tell them to rescue at least the director from the bomb beneath the command room. Of course there were some flaws in the plan. Namely summoning a heroic spirit. I couldn't bank on the chance of actually summoning anyone, especially without any catalyst. If I summoned someone like caster Gilles I'd be utterly fucked instead. Or Spartacus... well, I could manipulate Spartacus into believing oppressors had planted a bomb to kill the oppressed, but he would probably blow up the entire command room on his own. I would be alive by the end of it. That's what mattered the most. Because if I died, then no one would be able to stop Goetia. Can't have that happen.

"This is the Central Command Room. Your number, Senpai... Single digit, you're in the front row. Take an empty seat in the front row." I nodded towards Mash, but soon felt the intense gaze of the white-haired director on me. Lev stepped closer to us. "No more small talk. See, the orientation's already begun." I turned to the director, nodded towards Lev and Mash and went to sit in my seat.

"Well, that wasn't on time, but looks like we're all here now." Olga's voice reverbated in the room, amplified by some speakers that were hidden from my view. She truly sounded like those ladies from the animes. The archetypical rich girl in highschool trope. If her angry gaze didn't linger on me, I'd probably say she's cute. But in front of all these people I didn't want to voice my thoughts.

I moved towards an empty seat near the middle hallway of the room and sat down in it as the director began holding a speech. Somewhere after her first few sentences I began enacting my plan. I slowly closed my eyes, bobbed my head back and then towards the side, faking a deep slumber. After a few seconds I heard mumbling as the director stopped in her speech. Murmurs echoes around me, but where quickly silenced by the sound of someone moving in on me.

With a resounding slap that actually stung like hell, I acted as if I was slowly waking up. Olga Marie was standing furiously in front of me. Fists on her hips, daring me to defy her. For emphasis I decided to yawn loudly, angering the poor girl further. I looked at her and casually greeted her with a "Sup?"

After being kicked out by a yelling director, who told me I wouldn't be part of the first mission I realized that perhaps I might have overdone it a little, but who cares. Mash accompanied me out of the control room and asked me if I was alright.

I winked at her. "Looks like I fell asleep. Well, can't change being kicked out, now, can I?"

"It seemed like you were in REM sleep, but the Director's slap seemed to wake you up completely. Thank goodness. Let me take back to your room, "  
In that moment a white blur moved in on us, and Fou catapulted himself on Mash's head. I had raised my arms to deflect the furry projectile in case it came for me, but thankfully it didn't, but I couldn't hold back a snicker as Fou had miscalculated his trajectory and slamed into Mash's face. "Mash, uhh, you have something on your face. Are you okay?"

Muffled sounds came from beneath Fou's fur as Mash attempted to reply. Slowly the critter made his way on top of her head before dropping onto her shoulder. "No, I'm fine. That's normal. Fou likes to attack my face, slide around and settle on my shoulder." I had to surpress a laugh at that. Leave it to Fou to attack whoever it may be straight on. Can't wait for Babylonia... well, actually, I could.

While we walked along the hallway of Chaldea Mash and I talked a bit about Fou himself. Apparently Mash understands Fou far more than I do, as she claimed he had embraced me as one of his own. Then I somehow turned into his rival. Man, Fou is weird.

Soon we reached a door that read #48 and Mash stopped. "We've reached our destination. This is your room, Senpai." I gratefully nodded to Mash before she turned around. "I assume you have to get back to the control room?" Once more the soon-to-be Pseudo-Servant swerved around to meet my gaze. "First Mission, A Team. I need to head back now. But Fou says he'll look after you, Senpai. That sets my mind at ease." I looked to Fou and extended an arm on which he jumped before settling himself on my shoulder. He was surprisingly lightweight, despite all his fur. "Now, then, I'm off. If we're lucky, I think we'll meet again." With those words Mash ran off to the command room, leaving me alone in front of door #48.

Time to enact the second phase of my plan. I cautiously glanced around to check if anyone else was moving through the hallway. Upon making sure I was by myself, as best as I could be, I headed past the room until I reached room #50. There were 49 Masters. I was number 48. If 49 was in his room, then I'd rather not stumble in there. And according to my knowledge, Dr. Roman would be in my room, leaving me with number 50 as a safe place to try and summon a heroic spirit. Fou tilted his head as I opened the door to the empty room. Stepping inside, I swiftly closed the door behind me. These automatic sliding doors are awesome, but right now I can't marvel at the futuristic technology of Chaldea. I had lives to safe!

I grasped Fou of my shoulder to which he protested, before setting him down on the lone bed in the room. "Fou, everyone's in danger and I need to make sure some of them make it out alive." It pained me to condemn Mash to what equals her death. Up until she left me at the room I didn't pay her safety any mind, so used to her in the game I was. But she would turn out allright after everything while others simply perished. That was something I couldn't stomach, so I held out my palm. I didn't have a summoning circle, so this chant was all I had. To spice it up, and since a lot of magic was German from what I have seen, I decided to also recite in it German.

**Silber und Eisen als Herkunft. Edelstein und Großherzog des Vertrages als Eckstein.  
Mein Vorfahre, mein großer Meister, ist Schweinorg.**

**So soll der Wind eine Wand werden. Die Tore in die vier Richtungen schließen, komm von der Krone, die Gabelung die zum Königreich führt zirkuliert.**

**Füll, Füll, Füll, Füll, Füll  
Es wird fünfmal wiederholt.  
Zerbreche, sobald gefüllt.  
Ich verkünde.**

Below my outstretched palm the ground began to shine in a radiant light. My body felt as though it was lit on fire, as a magic circle etched itself in the ground. If it was from sheer determination or something else, I didn't know. It worked though, and I continued on with my chant.**  
**

**Du bist unter mir. Mein Schicksal ist an dein Schwert gebunden.  
In Akkord mit dem heiligen Gral, falls du diesem Willen, diesem Grund, zustimmst, dann antworte.**

**Hier ist mein Eid. Ich bin die Güte der gesamten Welt. Ich bin das Böse der gesamten Welt.  
Du bist der Himmel mit drei Wortseelen. Komm, aus dem Kreis der Unterdrückung, O Schützer der Balance.**

The glow of the finished magic circle intensified, as winds billowed throughout the room. I could hear Fou whimpering behind me. I shut my eyes as I continuously felt the summoning drain my energy. I guess this is what it feels like to use magic. It's hot. I'm probably sweaty as hell, but I can't waver in my concentration. Soon the winds stopped, as magic mist subsided. I lowered my hand as I felt the drain of my magic stop, and opened my eyes. They still needed to adjust from the brightness that had engulfed the room prior. There among the mist I could make out a silhouette though. The person was tall, it seemed like we were exactly the same height.

As the wind had died down and the mist receeded I could make out the one I summoned. A red overcoat, white hair. Slightly tanned skin. Black clothes. My eyes threatened to pop out of my head. The man turned to me with a neutral expression. "Archer-class Servant. I have been summoned and come at your request." I lost it.

"Fuck, yeah!" I shouted, pumping my first in victory, as I celebrated my summoning. Heroic Spirit Emiya had responded to my summon. I blame it on the fact that I am trying to save people. He chuckled dryly. "My, my. That certainly is one of the best reactions I had to being summoned."

Realizing that I was making a fool out of myself I stopped and rubbed the back of my head as a sheepish gesture. "Well, are you my master?" I nodded. "Yes, and I already need you to do something." Emiya sighed in an exasperated manner. "Well, let's hear it then..."

"Alright, Emiya. Listen up-" I was interrupted as Kanshou and Bakuya materialized in his hands and he glared at me. "How do you know my name?" he asked in a dangerous tone. Ah, shit. Should have seen this one coming. Sweat ran down my brow as I stared at the man who could easily kill me before I even knew what had happened. "Hold on a minute, please! Let me explain. I'll give you the short version now, with the full details after the request, alright?"

I just had to call him by his name, didn't I? Way to go Daniel. Time to plead with the grumpy archer.

He nodded silently at me and I took that as a signal to get started. "Alright. This might sound crazy, but I kind of know what's going to happen in the future. Right now there's a group of people in this very building on top of a bomb planted by one of the demon gods from Solomon. Once they enter these coffins to head out and fix singularities, broken timelines or something like that to stop Solomon from incinerating all of humanity the bomb is going to go off. The other masters in the coffins will be critically injured, but frozen in cryonic sleep. This is not the case for the other people in the adjacent control center. They will all die in the explosion. Since I knew this was going to happen, I dodged the bullet and came here to summon a heroic spirit to help me save those people. Especially the director, who otherwise is going to be erased from existance in an absolutely cruel manner. Does that explain it for now at least? Time is running out."

Emiya looker like he was thinking about it before scoffing. "And how do you suppose I can rescue any person from a bomb?" I gulped. I knew of a way he could potentially safe them, but I wasn't sure how he would react to the scenario I was about to suggest. I swallowed the lump in my throat and resigned myself to my fate. "Maybeyoucouldsummonunlimitedbladeworksandgetallthepeopleinthere?" The red-clad archer clearly didn't understand me, as I doubletimed the sentence under my breath, hoping not to die on the spot. He sighed and dismissed the two swords in his hands. "I didn't understand a word of what you just said, but it doesn't seem like you are lying."

"Unlimited Blade Works."

His glare harshened. "How do you know?"

"Summon Unlimited Blade Works and gather all the people in there as the bomb explodes. And I just know, alright. I told you I will tell you everything afterwards, but I need you to trust me and get going, or else it will be too late."

"Very well, I will hold you to it, Master." The last word was spoken with disdain, as the archer dematerialized from the bottom upwards. As he finally disappeared I left out a sigh of relief and slumped to my knees. This encounter made it sufficiently clear that I need to carefully choose my words, or else I'll end up murdered. If it was anyone but Emiya, the old softie, they might have killed me where I stood without a second glance, but the grumpy archer, despite all his claims would still save people if he could.

Fou came out from under the bed and angrily barked at me, voicing his displeasure with the summoning. "Yeah, Fou. I'm sorry, I should have warned you. Come on, we have to meet someone." With those words the furry squirrel climbed back on my shoulder and I stood up from the ground, heading towards the door. As I closed it behind me, I spared one last glance towards the insides, noting that the summoning had completely tossed everything around in the room that wasn't bolted to the floor. And with a sigh I made my way towards room #48. After all, I had a doctor to meet.

* * *

That's all for this chapter. In the next chapter, we will see if Emiya, good old Garcher can safe some unknowns from their untimely demise by a scheming leprechaun. If you have an feedback, go ahead. If you have any ideas, let me know. If you have any questions, shoot me a PM. I can't guarantee an answer, but I will do my best. Also, I don't know when the next chapter will be. Sometimes it takes a few days. Sometimes months for ideas to come along. Bear with it, I'm basically Andersen minus all the actually writing the whole time.


	2. Chapter 1: Trial by Fire

Sorry for this, but a quick note to everyone before you start reading: If you leave a review with a question, but it's a guest review, I won't be able to answer it without putting that sort of thing before the chapter. I'll do it once, because that's my fault for not letting you know.

**Unknown Guest asked:** "Is Daniel's last name Müller a Battlefield V: The Last Tiger reference?"

**Answer:** No, it isn't. I never played that game, the only one I ever touched was 3, and that didn't last long either. Müller is one of the most common German last names, and I only chose it on a whim. There's no reference to it.

* * *

While the initial shock of summoning a heroic spirit had settled down, I still felt trepidation at the events that were yet to come. I actually had no idea, or even a guarantee that Emiya would go along with my plan. For all I knew, he could have shadowed me. There was a slight tugging sensation that emanated deep from within my core that told me of my contract with the counter guardian, but further information was lost to me. A result likely born of my inexperience with the magic of Fate.

Furthermore I came to the realization that I had never actually introduced myself to Mash. While we had the brief encounter with Lev Lainur, that exchange had me labeled as 'Mr. Müller' most of the time, and I wasn't able to recall if I had ever heard Mash call me something other than her Senpai. My gut told me 'Müller' was the closest thing to an actual name she had addressed me with. That's something I would have to rectify as soon as I saw her again.

The automatic door to my room, number 48, slid open with a slight hiss, and the faint smell of strawberry cake invaded my nostrils. It would seem I had found the person I was looking for. Dr. Roman seemed totally caught off-guard by my sudden appearance, as he sat cross-legged on my bed in front of a laptop – a plate with a half-eaten slice of cake next to it. As soon as the door had opened, the poor man removed the fork from his mouth and went to close his laptop. I swear, if this man was texting inappropriate things to Magi Mari from my bed, I would personally wash the bedsheets.

"Okay, I'm in here – Wait? What?! Who are you?"

It took a moment for the man with the strange hair color to turn around. He probably expected someone else to come looking for him, and his resigning tone quickly changed to become shocked that someone unknown had caught him slacking off.

"This is an empty room! It's where I slack off! Who gave you permission to come in?"

"Well, this is apparently my room."

"Your room? This place? Oh...", realization set in on his face, as his hand instinctively went to the back of his neck to rub it soothingly, clearly embarrassed by the fact that he was the initial intruder. Honestly, I couldn't blame him. If I had to deal with some of the people here I too would probably retreat to the unused rooms of the facility.

"I see, so one of the last ones finally showed up, huh? Well, nice to meet you, Daniel Müller. Didn't think I would run into you like this, but let me introduce myself again."

I gestured for him to go on, unlike Lev Lainur he at least instantly recognized who I was.

"I'm the head of the medical department, Romani Archaman. For some reason, people just call me Dr. Roman. I don't know why, but it's easier to pronounce, so go ahead and call me Roman. Fact is, Roman has a nice ring to it, no? It sounds cool and vaguely sweet."

"Will do, Roman. I want you to call me Daniel then, or Dan, for short. That's what my friends call me, anyway."

After our mutual introduction Dr. Roman's gaze traveled to my fluffy companion, who stared at the soon-to-be head of Chaldea. I had assumed that Fou would make himself known verbally, but the being silently sat on my shoulder without an expression on his cute face.

"On your shoulder – is that the mysterious creature I've heard so much about? Whoa, nice to meet you! Mash told me a lot about him, but I didn't really think he existed..."

Apparently, Fou was some kind of hide-and-seek expert, considering that Roman had never seen him before, compared to me who woke up to Fou licking my cheek. How did he find me in the first place, I wonder. For a moment I considered lifting my left arm to check for a foul odor that might occur when one doesn't take a shower for longer periods of time, but I wouldn't want to make a fool out of myself. Let's just hope I don't reek of 'German Engineering straight out of Bed'.

Roman stepped closer to myself after moving from his position on the bed. I had expected him to be taller, to be honest, but the man stood around 1,70 meters tall (5 feet 8 inches), thus being a fair bit smaller than I was. Having tall parents does that to you. With my 1,87 meters (6 feet 2 inches) I was a good bit taller than most people regardless.

"Hey, why don't I teach Fou some tricks?", he outstretched a palm towards my companion, "If you do well, I'll give you a snack. Okay, shake hand."

"Fou."

The look on the doctor's face was akin to something you would see on an old ladies' face if you were to decide to kick the puppy. Utter dejection. I had to stifle a laugh at that. Roman was always played for laughs in the game, but seeing his expression shift so dramatically was so much better. Considering the topic of Roman being the butt-monkey of a lot of jokes, I at least made my goal to break the record of being forced to laugh at his misadventures throughout the story. If there was no other way in the end, then he would be the one offering up the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us. The least I could do before that, in case I fail at saving everyone, was to make sure I treat this man with the respect he deserved. Don't get me wrong, I am a sucker for misfortune. Schadenfreude is a German word, you know? Of course I would be laughing at some of the more outrageous scenarios, but never kick a man when he's already down, and poor Roman would be up shit creek without a paddle real soon.

"He gave me a really pitying look and then completely ignored me...", for a moment I shot Fou a chastising look, but before I could console the man in front of me, he caught himself, "A-anyway, I think I get what's going on. You're the rookie who just got here then got on the Director's bad side?"

"Not my finest hour, I admit."

"Then you and I are alike," Roman laughed. "Just so you know, I got yelled at by her too."

I couldn't help but agree. It wasn't unlikely that Olga Marie would berate Roman for his carefree attitude all the time.

"You know the Rayshift experiment's about to start, right? The entire staff's been sent to help out. But since my job is to look after everyone's health, I had nothing to do. The machines are more accurate at reading the vitals of the mages who are in the Coffins. The director said, 'When you're here, Romani, everyone slacks off!' then she threw me out. So I've been sulking here. But that's when you showed up. This is what they called a blessing in disguise, right?"

Humming an affirmative, I let the doctor continue.

"Since we both have nowhere to go, why don't we spend some time and deepen our friendship!"

Actually, his words had inspired me to do something else entirely. Roman would be a trusted ally for the foreseeable future and one of the members of Chaldea I could completely rely on, so including him in my plan to rescue our co-workers seemed like a good idea. He's the head of the medical department. I wasn't sure about his doctorate or his skills when it came to medicine, but he could at least operate the medical facilities after the bomb had exploded. Any wounded individuals could receive immediate medical attention from him. With my mind made up I began straightening myself for another inevitable showdown.

"Actually, Romani Archaman. There's something I need to tell you."

The carefree man instantly went rigid as I assumed my most commanding persona.

"I have knowledge that a bomb will be going off in the command center in a few minutes. I am not the one responsible. The perpetrator is Lev Lainur. I have managed to summon a heroic spirit on my own, because I attempt to rescue as many as possible. The archer I summoned has his... methods... of trying to ensure the safety of our fellow staff, but in case something goes horribly wrong I need to have you nearby and ready to treat any hurt in the resulting explosion."

Bracing myself for a disbelieving reaction I closed my eyes. To my surprise the shouts and questioning of my knowledge didn't happen. Instead Roman seemed to be frozen in shock. I snapped my fingers in front of his face for good measure. This seemed to do the trick as he visibly relaxed once more, with a nervous chuckle he began rubbing his neck again.

"My, my, Dan. That's a vivid imagination you have. Are you experiencing some additional side-effects from the training?"

"I am not kidding, _Solomon_. There's a bomb planted beneath the feet of Olga Marie, if it goes off, Chaldea's staff will be reduced to a measly number of 20 people. We need to act as soon as possible!"

Completely losing my composure I addressed Dr. Romani Archaman by his original name. King Solomon. To rescue the most people I had to stop pulling my punches. Further explanations could be provided once the attack had been mitigated. The man had to believe me. There was no time left to dally, there was never a specified time given when the bomb would explode. Since I didn't know the exact moment, I had to trust whomever I could to help me with this. Emiya wasn't one of the people most suited to deal with a bomb, but I placed my trust in his abilities to detect the bomb and perhaps deploy some kind of defensive measure like Rho Aias, or even Unlimited Blade Works to save as many as he could. Because if that wasn't the case, I needed Roman to be nearby before the bomb went off, because when it did in the game, we were still chatting in my room. Can't have that this time around. Pleasantries had to wait.

My words seemed to have an impact on the grand caster, who adopted a stern face. I could see the questions floating around in his head. How had I known that he was Solomon? Was I another enemy? Could he trust my decision?

"Very well. It seems that we have to cut our chat here short, if what you say is true. I had seen something coming. But this soon? Alright, Daniel. You stay here. I will hurry over to the med bay and make sure everything is in working condition for the scenario you just proposed. But we will talk after this, understood?"

I didn't answer, but merely stepped out of his way as he began running out of the room. After a few meters he stopped as his communication device, which I had yet to see rang out. A holographic picture of Lev Lainur appeared who said something to the doctor I couldn't make out from the entrance to my room.

I cursed under my breath. If my memories hold true, then there was less than two minutes remaining before the bomb went off, based on the fact that the conversation was one of the few times the story gave an insight into Chaldea's size. Within two minutes one can reach the command room from the infirmary. A few German words of choice flew forth from my mouth. I remember Roman saying it takes five minutes from my room to the command central, no matter what.

The doctor had terminated the conversation with Lev Lainur and turned to face me.

"Run!" I shouted, "We have less than two minutes left before the bomb explodes. Hurry!"

I began sprinting myself and felt Fou's little claws dig deeper into my uniform as we rushed along the great hallways of Chaldea. Roman was ahead of us, clearly not used to running long distances. Even I wasn't but this was an emergency.

"_Emiya. Can you hear me?_"

The archer should be somewhere in the command room by now, readying himself for what's to come. Having no clue of magic I had to improvise communication with my servant. Thinking about it with all my willpower would have to do it for now.

"_Yes, Master. I have determined the location of the explosives. There's 50 seconds remaining before it goes off._"

"_Can you deploy your reality marble? Or will Rho Aias contain the explosion?_"

"_Rho Aias is a conceptual defense against thrown weaponry, Master. I don't think it would do much._"

"_Well, then deploy Unlimited Blade Works! Prepare your aria, it takes some time to finish it!_"

"_Very well._"

I lost my footing for a moment and fell flat on the ground, sliding a few centimeters on the metal floor before stopping. Romani had heard my yelp and stopped to turn around. He had a look of concern on his face. Fou was angrily barking at me from the position he had landed.  
Fuck me. I didn't even think about how much juice it would take out of me to supply Emiya with enough for his Noble Phantasm. My veins felt as if on fire, my blood boiling beneath my skin. The pain was unbearable, but I had to endure it.  
Gritting my teeth and clenching my eyes shut didn't do much to soothe the inferno I felt within me. This is why you don't play with magic you don't know anything about. Among the excruciating pain of my body I could make out Roman's concerned shouts for my well-being.

"Fly... you fool..."

Yes! Despite feeling like being dropped into a volcano I managed to quote pop culture. Hoping the doctor would catch my drift, I went back to suppressing the agony of being drained of prana. If Emiya felt like this whenever he cannibalized a nerve, I would have to up my respect for the absolute madman. Being burned to death was one of the most horrifying ways to die along with drowning, and I could possibly understand why at this point.  
That's why the grumpy archer had sounded so damn cocky when he accepted my request. The damn asshole knew I would be writhing in pain the moment he deployed his broken world. Gramps, why couldn't you respond to my summons and Azrael Lev, the bomb and all problems Chaldea would face today?  
I hoped for a spooky voice to sound in my head, telling me something along the lines of "**Thou wish shalt be granted, Contractor.**" but alas, no such thing happened. Instead I _felt_ the lights go out and heard Roman yelp in the distance.

Soon after the light flickered back on, as a powerful quake shook the structure beneath me. The bomb had gone off. Emiya better had saved them, or I would make him kill himself with my command seal. That would be an overreaction, but at the moment I didn't care.

**"Emergency. Emergency. A fire has broken out in the Central Power Station and the Central Command Room. Central Area's containment wall will activate in 90 seconds. All staff must evacuate from Gate 2 at once."**

Damn it! I had totally forgotten about that. Shit. I had to hurry to the control room, or else I would be locked out of the rayshift! My body had gone numb from the pain, but I had to press on! I had to reach Mash!

Fou kept barking at me in a warning tone as I began to get up from the ground. The drain on my prana had ceased to be, leaving me to feel like an empty husk. A dried up corpse of a man, who would shamble his way towards a room that would spell death for any who where caught in the incinerating flames of Lainur's plans. With a roar of pain and determination I rose to my feet and began wobbling down the hallway.  
How much time had passed since the bomb had gone off?

Would I make it in time?  
Had Emiya succeeded?

I asked myself a lot of questions while shakily making my way towards the control room. I had to be decently close by this point, as the smoke grew thicker, and I could hear the roar from the flames.

**"Containment wall will close in 40 seconds. Those remaining in Central Area, evacuate immediately. All staff must evacuate from Gate 2 at once."**

There! The huge entrance to the control room! I could see it! Being this close to my destination, I forced myself to quicken my pace. I had to reassure Mash. All around me the black smoke billowed into the hallway and made it's way towards the ventilation. The world grew quieter as I saw Mash under that stone. Roman had appeared in my vision, trying to stop me. His clothes had become singed and discolored by the amount of ash he must have dug through. But I pushed forward.

**"Generator operation stopped. Power level critical. Switch to the backup generator, error. Please make switch manually. Containment wall will close in 20 seconds. Those remaining in Central Area, evacuate immediately. All stuff must evacuate from Gate 2 at once."  
**

Roman shook his head before letting go, heading back out into the hallways.

Debris fell from the skies. Flames licked at my feet. I didn't see any bodies outside of Mash, and the coffins with the masters. Chaldeas remained in the center of the room, unperturbed by the catastrophe, though it's blue light had long gone dark.

**"System switching to the final phase of Rayshift. Coordinates: January, 30****th****, AD 2004, Fuyuki, Japan.**

**Laplace's shifting protection established. Singularity's additional factor slot secured.**

**Unsummon Program set. Please start final adjustments."**

I didn't care for the announcement. My eyes were glued to Mash's form. She was lying on the floor, a chunk of wall on her lower half. Blood poured down her forehead, as she looked at me with half-lidded eyes. I had seen this scene before. I had known what would happen. Yet still the cruel fate of my Kouhai shook me to the very core.

"Oh..."

The lone, violet eye of the girl fixated itself on me. It was a haunting experience, seeing those dead orbs stare at me, resigned to their fate. I knew the Rayshift would fix all this, but I honestly can't say I will come out of this whole ordeal as a sane person. Seeing someone you know, albeit one-sided, die in front of you is a gut-wrenching situation. She must have seen my pained face as she began to speak.

"That's right, thank you... For your understanding. Please, Senpai, you need to... get out of here."

A mechanical whir followed her weak command as Chaldeas returned to it's glowing form once again. But instead of the soothing, digital blue light it should be showing, it glowed in an angry orange, with darker highlights of red. Looks like it is time to commence the Grand Order.

**"Warning all observation staff. Chaldeas' state has changed. Now rewriting Sheba's near-future prediction data. Unable to detect the existence of mankind 100 years in the near-future on Earth.**

**Unable to confirm human survivors.**

**Unable to guarantee mankind's future."**

"Chaldeas... has turned bright red... No, never mind that-" Mash's struggle for words was interrupted by another announcement.

**"Central Area, sealed. 180 seconds till internal containment procedure."**

With labored breaths Mash solemnly made the situation clear. We wouldn't be getting out of here. We had been shut in. The doors are sealed. I stood there, head lifted to look at the imposing form of Chaldeas, hovering among a sea of flames.

"We are going to make it, I promise." _Rayshift us already! I'm not ready to die!_

**"Coffin Vitals: Masters; Baseline not reached. Rayshift requirement not met. Searching for qualifying Master... Found."**

**"Candidate number 48: Daniel Müller reset as Master."**

Wait a minute, reset?! What about Emiya?! Do I get reset as a Master or something? What about my heroic spirit? Is he going to be unsummoned. If so, what the heck is going to happen to all the people in Unlimited Blade Works, will they just 'puff'-evaporate?!

**"Unsummon Program: Start. Spiritron Conversion: Start."**

"Um... Sen...pai? Would you mind... holding my hand?"

I looked down to see Mash slowly turning into golden motes of light, slowly drifting upwards into the air to mingle with the sparks from the flames. I knelt down in front of her, stretching out my hand. Couldn't deny that usually meek voice when it's filled with so much sorrow.

**"Rayshift starting in 3... 2... 1..."**

**"All procedures clear. First Order, commencing operation."**

* * *

Here's a hint for all the nice people out there. Broken slabs of concrete make for a horrendous resting place. This goes double when the concrete is a comfortable temperature of sizzling your buttocks. If your name is Lev Lainur, Matou Zouken or Kirei Kotomine, you can have a blanket made from an iron fence for all I care.

After experiencing my first actual rayshift into a singularity, I blacked out. Like a proper protagonist, if I do say so myself. Summoning a servant, getting drained of prana by said servant and then running down a hallway makes faint on the spot once out of immediate danger. Whoever said humans were distance runners and hunters that whittle down your stamina clearly had not factored in your lazy 21st century corporate slave. In movies we are comedy relief, gawking as the catastrophe moves in on us for a funny, yet tragic shot. Coincidentally, Fuyuki looked like someone had decided to drop all sorts of bombs, before turning full time arsonist. Roughly 55 percent of the walkable surface was doused in flames, which raised the temperature in the surroundings to a warm temperature of 'my eyes are boiling, send help'.

Remember how I made snarky comments about Fou smuggling itself on rayshifts like some stowaway on the sinking Titanic? Clearly the little bugger had managed it for the first time, because for the second time in my short experience with him, he thought waking me up with licks was a good idea. If it wasn't for Mash threatening to kill me, I would have probably rested for a few more minutes. Honestly, if I didn't knew that the girl was pure as snow, I'd say she had some kind of split personality. Mash and Smash. Like Jekyll and Hyde, but less wimpy and, or deranged, depending on the current personality. So for my own amusement, I deadpanned her by asking if she truly said she would kill me if I'm not going to wake up.

For the first time after meeting her in person, Mash had the decency to be bashful. She turned her head to the left by a small degree, her face ever so slightly redder.

"That came out wrong. What I meant to say was, 'you're going to be killed.'"

I nodded sagely at that, holding a hand to my face.

"Yes, indeed. Mash I am German, not gullible."

Well, enough of lazing about. You can bet that my highly untrained posterior had been sufficiently roasted by the blazing streets of a ruined town. I hauled myself up with the help of some stone that was around a measly 50° Celsius and began dusting off my Chaldean Uniform. I hope to one day lift the secrets regarding the mysterious disappearance of my own clothes and who dressed me in my unconscious state. But right now we had bigger problems. Mash turned around and introduced me to a bunch of skeletons, dressed in tattered remains of clothes, armed with swords.

"Um, I was confused because everything happened so quickly. As much as I want to gather our thoughts, please look straight ahead."

As if on cue one of the skeletons dropped it's jaw at an impossible angle, probably due to the lack of muscles and screeched something that sounded eerily like someone saying 'giga!'. How the hell these skeletons made those sounds, I had no idea. Mash on the other hand went into some kind of analysis regarding their linguistic communications, before flatly stating that talking to them would be impossible and their intentions hostile.

"Master, your orders, please. You and I will overcome this together!"

I signaled an okay and began to take in the skeletons in greater detail. Those were normal human remains. At least they appeared to be. They had the same built as those model skeletons back in school, though some of them missed an arm. Or a jawbone.

"Mash, this is simple. If possible go for buster attacks to the torso, or quick and arts attacks against their weaker bones and joints. They can't hurt us if they can't close the distance. And when you are missing a pair of legs, you won't catch up to us regardless."

Once I finished my plan of attack Mash went into motion. The shielder quickly went for the nearest of the five skeletons and drove her shield forward in a brutal ram. The skeleton gave in under the sheer force of having a metal shield rammed into you by superhuman speeds. From my angle I could only see the head of the poor pile o' bones fly off over the top of the shield, as the torso splintered under the gargantuan force, crushing the spine in a swift motion.

"To your left Mash, use a quick attack!" I ordered, seeing that one skeleton attempted to avenge their fallen brethren by cutting Mash open with their sword. In a fluid, albeit unpracticed motion, Mash whirled around and drove the lower point of the shield between the ribs of the undead, bisecting it before it could strike. The momentum of the swing carried Mash around to barely let her block an incoming strike from another greedy skeleton. Recovering from her blunder, Mash quickly overpowered the skeleton, breaking the deadlock before slamming her shield into the ribcage of her adversary, breaking bones with a sickening crunch.

The other two skeletons were quickly dispatched as well. They were too far apart from the beginning and haven't maneuvered around in a timely fashion to flank the girl. She quickly beheaded one of them with her shield before jumping and _crushing_ the other below her.

If these were humans, and blood came in more colors, it would have been a spectacular explosion of art, but instead, the sound of bones being ground to dust could be heard among the hungry blaze ravaging the surroundings.

"Nice job!" I exclaimed, genuinely happy that we didn't get beaten by a bunch of bones. Mash exhaled sharply at that.

"I had my worries, but we made it somehow. Are you hurt Senpai? Does your stomach hurt, or does it feel heavy?"

Ever the considerate Kouhai, the girl put my own safety before her own. But I quickly let her know that I was in fact, perfectly fine. My stomach on the other hand, was pretty empty. I hadn't eaten anything ever since the simulation, and who knows how long it took for me to even arrive in Chaldea.

When Mash finally returned to my side fully, I took in her form, before an evil grin spread on my cheeks. The job of the upper classman is to embarrass their lower classmates, isn't it?

"Mash, by the way, what's with the skimpy outfit? For armor, it appears to not be very practical. You're exposing a lot there."

The poor girl lit up like a light bulb at my statements, moving the shield so it covered her from my teasing gaze.

"I transformed into this. I couldn't protect you wearing Chaldea's uniform."

"Well, I approve in that case."

To further embarrass her, I gave a cheeky smile and a thumbs up, when something beeped on Mash's shield-arm. She moved her other hand behind her shield, still denying me an opportunity to finally make out what Chaldea actually uses to communicate.

"I finally got through! Hello? This is Chaldea Command Room? Do you read me?"

The voice of Roman rang through the streets, clearly stressed from the events. I could see the faint shimmer of a blue holograph coming from behind the shield and moved myself to get a closer look. Soon I saw the face of the panicked doctor on a holographic image projected by a small bracelet.

"This is Mash Kyrielight, a member of A Team. At this time, I've completed the shift to Singularity F. My sole companion is Müller, mind and body both intact. Rayshift compatibility, Master compatibility both satisfactory. Please register Müller as an official researcher."

In response to the call from the man Mash began to summarize our situation in a business-like fashion. I would have botched that horrendously, so I tried not to interfere in the state of affairs like a good rookie should. That was my plan, until Roman shifted the conversation to me.

"So... Daniel also got dragged into the Rayshift, huh? I'm impressed you didn't 'lose your existence'. I'm really glad." He paused for a moment. "Also, Mash... Of course I'm glad you're safe, too... but what's up with that outfit. It's shameless! I didn't raise you to dress like that!"

"You see, Doc. Mash transformed to keep me safe. Don't blame her for taking drastic measures that exponentially increased my lifespan."

I already embarrassed Mash. You may be something like a father, but I already did the job. Read the mood in the room. Isn't this on the official Chaldea channel for voice communication? Sheesh.

"Please be quiet, Doctor. Please check my condition. I think you'll understand the situation better."

A few seconds of silence were interrupted by the astonished shouts of Roman. He began listing all her advancements in her various parameters as they both came to the conclusion that Mash had turned into a Servant. With a calm look in her eyes Mash admitted that she survived the whole ordeal in Chaldeas by fusing with a Servant. She herself didn't remember how it happened, but I certainly know. Thanks Galahad. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. I'll make sure she has her Lord Camelot unlocked before we go to the Camelot Singularity and meet your womanizer of a father.

I droned out their further speculations and discussions regarding her fusion with a Servant. I didn't care for the details, as it was very clear to me in the first place. Instead I surveyed the surroundings as the two of them kept talking. From where I stood I could clearly make out what had been the main road once, leading to an intersection from which you could cross the river. This also meant that we would meet Medusa Lancer there. And Caster Cu. In my mind I jumped in joy. While Caster Cu was clearly a step down from his badass lancer form, but the man in the robes would still be the same dog. This only left one question though...

"_Emiya, can you hear me?_"

Upon my call the red-clad archer manifested next to me from his spirit form, a mocking smile on his face, as he rested his back against a slab of concrete jutting out from the ground. He had his arms crossed and eyes closed in a manner that made me want to let out my frustrations on him.

"I'm here, Master." he replied in a sarcastic voice that really rustled my Jimmies.

Mash seemed alerted by his presence and assumed a rudimentary combat stance, though the other servant didn't seem to be threatened in the slightest as Roman shouted something about a potential enemy. I quickly turned to Mash, holding my hands in a placating manner, signaling that the fellow servant wasn't a danger. Yet.

"Calm down, Mash. He's my Servant. I summoned him before the rayshift and-" I turned around to face said Servant. "How did it go? Did you manage to do as I asked?"

The archer nodded before opening his eyes and looking at me with a cruel smile. "Didn't think you had the circuits to allow me to summon my reality marble, guess I was wrong. How did it feel?"

"Asshole." I muttered, clearly remembering the pain.

"Anyway. I did as you said, shortly before you were transported to this place I dropped it. The thing is, the explosive somehow managed to manifest itself partially in that space and exploded. Some of the people were caught in the blast. I assume some will have died. Those that survived I dropped off in front of the door for the doctor to carry off with the help of other survivors."

I bowed to the Japanese Servant as a sign of gratitude. While not done in Germany, the gesture surely wouldn't be lost to the man who used to live in this very city.

"So, Master. You still need to explain your... knowledge to me, care to explain? I bet the doctor would love to hear as well."

I gulped and prepared myself for the obvious, but Roman cut in before I could open my mouth. His connection was growing weaker, so he urged us to move towards a set of coordinates at which a leyline could be found. I shrugged at the archer, who let loose a sound of annoyance before disappearing in blue motes of energy. Guess I can't count on him to help in the upcoming fights...

* * *

Walking through the burning city of Fuyuki was a tedious undertaking. Since clearly no one was left to maintain the roads or restore them to their pristine condition, the trek to the coordinates was done in an uncomfortable silence as Mash and I carefully moved across concrete so demolished, it was reminiscent of walking along a gravel beach. The ground beneath our boots crunched whenever we so much as moved our feet which sometimes made a stray group of skeletons notice our presence. After the latest scrap with a group of spear-wielding undead Mash returned to me, looking to talk.

"Senpai. We'll be at the point the Doctor gave us soon."

"We should hurry then. I guess I owe you lot an explanation. And by the way, Mash. Please call me Daniel or Dan, if you will. I'm alright with you calling me Senpai, but no one calls me by my last name."

"Alright, Senpai."

"Kya! Wha-what the heck are these?! Why am I the only one that has to suffer like this?!"

Wait. A girly scream in the beginning of the Fuyuki singularity? Don't tell me-

"No~, please come save me Lev! You're always the one saving me, aren't you?!"

Why was the Director in the singularity? Did Emiya not manage to get her to safety? He said he located the bomb, meaning he should have known that it was placed beneath her, making her a top priority to safe. I cursed. While the plan had worked out at least in some way, if Olga had appeared here, then it meant that her body had been caught in the explosion.

"Mash, grab me and bring us closer to the Director. I guess the undead have found her."

With a yelp I found myself in the arms of Mash. Her giant shield had dematerialized to make it possible for her to carry me in a bridal style. Considering various circumstances, such as Emiya's and Roman's incoming interrogation, Olga's appearance in the singularity and the fact that it wasn't a good moment to do so, I would have shed a tear at being carried by a girl a lot smaller than me. There goes my manliness~, so long, hopes and dreams.

Jumping over a barricade of stone we had visual contact on the battlefield. A number of foes had circled around the Director, blocking her escape routes. She had her arm outstretched, pointing a hand at a small group of undead, occasionally firing a magic projectile at them. Gandr, I realized. Mash and me landed in front of the girl, to which she greeted us in the most tsundere manner ever.

"Y-you guys?! Ah, jeez. I have no idea what's happening anymore!"

Once Mash had placed me on the ground, I made myself as big as possible, pressing my fists to my hips, puffing out my chest and letting loose a boisterous laugh.

"It's fine now! Why? Because I am here!"

As I did my best impression of All Might, the skeletons took a collective step back to reassess the situation. My three companions looked absolutely incredulous at my dramatic pose. What? I am a sucker for dramatics. Even the hidden Fou gave me a pitying look as I continued with my over the top laugh.

My attempt at enjoying the situation was inappropriately short when one of the skeletons attempted to skewer me on the blade of his polearm. Mash had dashed in at the last second to shield me from my untimely demise and dispatched the offender quickly after doing so. Maybe this was the wrong time and wrong place to make an epic entrance.

"Mash, go wild. Fight as you see fit. We have already fought a lot of them, you know how to fight them." I said, completely ignoring the scolding looks I got from her for putting myself in danger.

"Don't worry, Olga. They have fallen to my taunt. With us here, you can keep shooting your Gandr at them."

"Who said I needed your help?!" I sighed at her indignant shout. I knew she was going to be a pain, but not this early. Is this how you treat your saviors if they aren't the leprechaun?

In the meantime, Mash was going through the horde of undead with more precision compared to our earlier fights. I could only assume that she had become more comfortable with her current state, as she flung her shield into the spine of an assailant, leaving both halves to fall to the ground, where they rested motionless. The current assortment of opponents wasn't anything to be worried about, and I tried to wrestle a spear from a dead body. The thing gave, but one of the arms still clutched the weapon tightly, making me furrow my brows in disbelief and disgust. I had no intentions of touching the dead, so I changed gears and heaved the spear over my shoulder as if I was an ancient hunter. Eyes locked on of one of the skeletons, I threw the weapon with all my strength, which wasn't a lot, at the target. The staff glided through the air, arm still attached and stuck the torso of my target. For a moment I felt the smug satisfaction of partaking in glorious combat. This feeling of being useful quickly went away when the skeleton wasn't perturbed in the slightest at the spear jutting out from between it's ribs and turned to me.

A red blur shot past me, nailing the skeleton in it's leg, making it collapse on the ground. Olga had fired a shot of Gandr at it before it could retaliate.

"Are you crazy? Mash has it under control and you decide to play with their weapons?"

In my defense, it was a clean throw. Probably the only time in my life I would throw a spear with this much accuracy. If skeletons still had hearts and needed them, I would have killed it. But I relented. Sitting at the sidelines and giving commands was probably for the best, anyways.

My Kouhai had dispatched the rest of our quarries in the meantime and returned to see Olga fuming at me.

"We have won the battle... are you hurt, Director?"

The white haired girl stood quite for a few seconds, composing herself.

"What is this?"

Mash tilted her head at this and I shrugged, not having any clue what she meant by this. We just beat a bunch of enemies. It's obvious, isn't it?

"Director? Ah... it's me, isn't it? I'm sure it's hard to believe but I-" Mash was rudely interrupted.

"-fused with a servant; a 'Demi-Servant', right? I know that already. What I really want to know is how you won just now!"

She turned to me, jabbing her finger dangerously close to my nose. I felt myself shrinking a bit under her angry gaze.

"More than that. You! You were the one that came late to my lecture! How are you a Master now? You need to be a mage to form a contract with a Servant! You shouldn't be able to become a Master! Why does Mash recklessly go and do what she's told?!"

I was about to defend myself but found that unnecessary when Mash cleared up the situation.

"You're mistaken, Director. If anything, I'm the one that pushed him into the contract. Apparently, Daniel already has a contract with another Servant."

"What are you saying?! What?

With that Mash began telling the fuming Director the story of the events from her point of view, including my connection to the archer who was still lingering around in his astral form, as well as the upcoming interrogation at the hands of him and Roman. Color me surprised when the hot-headed head of Chaldea didn't furiously demand me to explain myself in an instant, but rather took in the information with an expressionless facade, before telling us that the other masters likely didn't make the rayshift, and that we would be on our own from here on out.

"Well that's that. I understand the situation. Müller. Since this is an emergency, I will acknowledge your contract with Kyrielite and the unknown Servant. From here on you'll be taking orders from me."

Talk about taking over the reigns. It hasn't even been ten minutes since we saved her from a dangerous situation and she had already undermined my authority, not that I had any, and took command of me and Mash.

"First, to build a base camp. In times like this, we'll need to find a leyline terminal with an abundance of mana. From there we should be able to contact Chaldea. Then we can figure out what's... what is it Kyrielight?"

"I just wanted to let you know – you're standing on a ray point."

I chuckled when the Director looked at her feet, clearly surprised by the revelation made by Mash.

"Eh? Ah... It seems so. I know that. I knew that all along! Mash, put your shield on the ground. I'll need a Noble Phantasm as a catalyst to establish a summoning circle."

Gacha? My eyes lit up, burning with the zeal of a thousand suns. This meant Gacha, didn't it? Gacha! Gacha! Gacha! Come on, Prez, give me all your Saint Quartz, I'll be taking all thirty of them and summon heroic spirits left right and center. We will have our own private army of super-humans to mow down the other singularities in no time!

Mash turned to me with a questioning look, clearly waiting for my opinion on the matter. It took a few moments for me to realize that. In my head I was already performing summons.

"I guess so. Is that okay, Senpai?"

"Huh, yes. Of course it is. Go ahead."

Summoning her shield, Mash gently placed it on the ground, so that the part of the round table faced the smoke covered skies of Fuyuki. I hoped no other skeletons would interrupt our ritual here.

"This... is exactly the same as the summoning site in Chaldea..." Mash noted.

Of course it was. Chaldea relied on the fragment of the famous round table to summon forth heroes, as the legendary order of knights served as an anchor for heroes, though I questioned myself whether or not the shield itself had any influence on the summons, as one could argue that it would be a marvelous catalyst to assemble Artoria and her knights. My musings were interrupted when Mash's bracelet beeped loudly.

"Test, test. Hello-! Great, it connected again! Good work you two, I successfully locked in your spatial location. We should be able to communicate now, and even supply-" the relieved Roman was rudely interrupted by our newest squad member as she began berating the poor man in the holograph.

"Haa? Who put you in charge, Romani! Lev? Where's Lev? Go get him!"

Not expecting the frustrated Director to pop out into his field of view, the Doctor gave a startled scream, physically reeling away from his own screen.

"D-Director, you're alive? No, that sounded wrong. What are you doing in the singularity?!"

"What do you mean by that! Whatever, where is Lev?! Why are you in command right now?"

Roman shook his head to silence the girl.

"Even if you ask me... I am fully aware that I am not cut out for this role. However there's no other capable person here, Olga Marie. Currently, no more than twenty Chaldea staff members are in condition to help operations. I am overseeing it, because there is no staff higher ranked than me.  
Professor Lev was in the control room directing the rayshifts. If it wasn't for Daniel's foresight casualties would be much higher."

From a mere meter of distance I could hear Olga's heart shatter as she heard that Lev 'didn't survive' the explosion. Good riddance, but too bad you would survive because you are Demon God Flauros.

"That... Lev, he... No, wait, hold it, stop. There's only twenty left to operate the systems? How many were wounded? What of the Masters? What happened to the coffins?!" Olga practically shouted at Roman, leaving everyone else to wince at her raised volume.

"All 47 are in critical condition. Our medical tools aren't enough. Even if we had people to help them, they're all-"

"Don't joke with me, put them into cryofreeze immediately! Worry about the resuscitation later, your priority is to make sure they don't die!"

Roman gasped and began typing away at an unseen keyboard.

"Ah! That's right, coffins had that ability! I'll prepare immediately!"

As Roman worked on keeping my fellow master alive for the foreseeable future, Mash and the Director began a talk about the ethics of putting someone into cryofreeze without their consent. I don't know why you would need consent to preserve a life, as I had done earlier today, and it paid off in a small way, but mages apparently don't like that sort of thing. Soon Roman came back to us to finish his report on the state of Chaldea.

"Currently, Chaldea has lost 80% of its functionality. 20 people, including me are doing all they can, around 40 staff have been wounded in the explosion and are currently being treated in the medical facility. We are currently split in our focus to control the rayshift, repairing Chaldea and maintaining Shiva. As soon as communications to the outside are restored, we will get supplies and fully repair Chaldea... but for now, I think we should thank Daniel for his efforts."

Swallowing, I stepped into his vision. Time to spill the beans. Obviously some parts I would have to leave out to make up details, because I myself didn't know the exact details. Honestly, I had no clue what was going on outside of the events of Fate/Grand Order at this stage. The game, along with it's franchise had ceased to exist through the night, and I found myself whisked away to Chaldea without ever partaking in their test.

Something bigger was amiss, because as far as I know, magic, or magecraft as it was called, was a mere product of fantasy, given form by a man called Kinoki Nasu, not sure about the name though. Though apparently, I was able to perform magic, which is strange, considering I, like some others had my... years of blundering about, pretending to be a fantasy character. Hey, when you're a child you sometimes hope that you'll unlock some sort of deep, inner power to become a hero!

My records with Fate fanfictions pointed to the one single perpetrator in most of these stories: Zeltrech. But that couldn't be the case. Considering his common description as a massive troll, he would have at least let me know that I was being trolled. To be honest, I never had read up on the man in my time, so I hardly knew if he truly was as bad as depicted throughout the fandom. Since the obvious reason why I found myself in this scenario wasn't the likely reason, and I couldn't be sure about other possibilities, I would have to wreck my head in the future to find an answer.

The theory of the multi-verse seemed like the most reasonable explanation as a baseline for now, as the discrepancies between the world I went to sleep in and the one I woke up in are extreme, if you looked for them. I couldn't dismiss the possibility of waking up in another timeline or universe that closely resembled mine, but at the same time did not. Honestly, I had no definitive proof of the circumstances and coming up with a sensible reason for the events would take time, time that I didn't have, as Emiya stepped out of his astralized state.

Everyone had turned to face me, expecting me to explain how I came to know things that should honestly not be known. Taking a deep breath I began to summarize.

"Alright, I guess I have to tell you now. I'll give the short, but not quite as short version, as we are stuck in a singularity at the moment, and I'd rather not have this be interrupted by any other rude individuals. So sit down, grab a cup of coffee and listen up."

"I have some sort of clairvoyance that allows me to see some events of the future. For example, I knew about the explosives in Chaldea. Before you, dear Director, begin hating on me for not warning everyone, there's a simple reason. You see, the one you know only as Lev Lainur is actually a, I guess you could say phantasmal being? Anyway, he's a Demon God Pillar and his goal, along with his 71 brethren is the incineration of humanity.

With the knowledge I had gathered, I took the test to join Chaldea, hoping to get in. Once I did so, I formulated a plan to ensure most would make it out alive, otherwise we would be down to 20 staff members, including Roman, Me and Mash here. You would have been one of the casualties, Director. Actually, Roman, you said you yourself were surprised by Olga being here. Can you explain?"

"How do I say this, Daniel. Your other Servant had managed to move most of the staff out of the control room, including the Director. Her body is mostly intact and currently resting in the medical facility, but at the same time she is there with you."

"_Oh, du Hurensohn. _(1)" I cursed under my breath as I hypothesized what had happened.

Everyone but the Doctor had grown quiet as they listened to our stories. Mash tried to keep herself calm from the looks of it. The Director apparently had some kind of mental breakdown, whimpering to herself and Emiya stood there, arms crossed as if taking in the information for now.

If you didn't play the game, let me get you back on track regarding Ms. Olga Marie Animusphere. In the story, she would be directly above the bomb and have her body be so finely exploded, that no remains were to be found, but she still managed to appear in the singularity, where she would foolishly run to her demise after you, Mash and your servants had overcome Artoria Alter. For plot reasons Lev would summon Chaldeas and make the poor girl float into it's core, leading to her existence being erased in one gruesome and painful way I wouldn't even with upon my worst enemies.

Now as far as I knew, you needed to have a body to rayshift, or else the other dead, or masters who had passed would also be rayshifted to Fuyuki. The whole thing is a monumental clusterfuck of artistic license in my opinion, but it now seemed like I was about to explain.

"Thinking about it, it seems like Lev had some kind of way to separate her soul, or psyche, from her body and force it to rayshift. Even to my knowledge she would have been rayshifted here despite possessing a body no longer. But to be honest, that's just a theory right now. I don't know much about the workings of rayshifts, spiritron dives and all that technojazz, but that's my idea."

"Back to my story. I had to play five-dimensional chess with a Demon God. If he would grow suspicious of me, anything could have happened. Maybe I would find myself being suicided – or worse. So I followed my visions, and acted to fall asleep in your lecture, sorry by the way Director, to get booted out of there. Mash had followed me to my room, number 48. Roman will know, but I actually went to room number 50 in order to summon this guy right here." I pointed at Emiya and began addressing him. "That's also why I know your name and capabilities. In my visions, you fought alongside us. I hope that makes sense. But I would trust you with my life."

The heroic spirit seemed satisfied with my explanation and nodded in acknowledgment.

"That would explain it, Master. If we spent time together in your vision, then you probably know a bit about me."

"After summoning Emiya here, I persuaded him into helping me. Apparently he did the most he could to stop the machinations of Lev, as we are more than twenty left in Chaldea, so that's a relief. Then I went to my room and met Roman, persuaded him to help me as well, and rushed back to the control room. And that's that. My visions have been accurate so far, despite my meddling, and I hope to keep it that way, so some additional information I will not give you until the time is right, as the enemy has ears everywhere. I hope you can continue to trust me, as I know you're all good people at heart. Yes, even you, Olga Marie. You might act all tough, but you don't have to. You would have done an excellent job if not for the traitorous Lev."

I patted her head in her stupor. At least if she was to still die, she wouldn't have to scream about never receiving any praise. Good job, me. It appears that everyone has believed my half-truths regarding my knowledge. Some took it better than others, but I digress. A win no matter how small, is a win. One could argue that Roman, or rather Solomon, would still be interested in the complete information I have, but he would have to wait, as I didn't want to lift his secret identity this early on, especially with Mash and the Director around.

* * *

It took a while for everyone to gather their bearings. Upon my request Roman had managed to rayshift some supplies to our destination. We now had military rations to eat, water safe for human consumption and a fire extinguisher upon my request. To save our backsides from being thoroughly fried by the hellish landscape, I used the extinguisher on the surrounding flames, while Mash laid out heat-resistant blankets for us to sit on.

In other news, me and Mash had been promoted to investigators for the current singularity, while Roman had been accepted as the current head of affairs over at Chaldea. After some final pleasantries the connection with Roman had been cut, and everyone but Emiya sat down to recover from the stressful entry into the city. I actually had told Emiya to scout ahead. Since I knew who had the grail and where they were it would be a lot easier if he could find us the fastest and safest route to the mountain. I assumed he already suspected that I knew of his connection to Fuyuki, but didn't commend on it further, instead vanishing into his invisible form and disappearing off to somewhere.

As I finished nibbling on some bread Olga turned to face me. This was going to be another lecture, wasn't it?

"Excuse me, Müller, but do you know what this is?" She held up a shiny, spiked gem in her left hand.

"I do in fact. That must be a Saint Quartz. Some sort of gem imbued with the power needed to summon servants, right?" outwardly, I was composed, but internally I was doing backflips. Spare me your lecture, lady. You put three on the shield and stuff pops out.

"If you do, then there's no need to explain them to you, is there? Don't worry about the prana. Chaldea's systems handle the brunt of the energy required for the servants. But since you are our only Master right now, you should go ahead and summon some additional Servants to help us."

My grin must have been massive, because the Director reluctinglygave me the thirty Saint Quartz she had on her. But how could I not be ecstatic about this? That's a lot of free Saint Quartz. Perhaps I would manage to roll-

Then I realized something.

Something horrible.

This was the tutorial summoning. A forced roll of thirty to summon heroes and craft essences from a _very_ limited pool. But while the pool was limited to merely a small sample of the throne, you would get a guaranteed 4-Star Servant. If you were lucky, you could even get two! Perhaps it would be different in a realistic scenario, but it's better not to get your hopes up, because some of the better servants you could summon where absolutely _not_ what I wanted to summon.

With this knowledge my grin had subsided into a smile as I made my way to the shield, Mash and Olga following closely behind me. Perhaps I would manage to summon the servants like I did in my own game? If that was to be the case, then I would have Siegfried and Marie on my side. Two servants, that while not as good in the game, could be very handy to have right now. I spared Olga a glance and formulated a question regarding the more intrinsic mechanics of the upcoming summon.

"Olga, can I put all of them on the shield at once? You know, to summon ten times at once, or do it has to be ten individual summons?"

"How would you fit thirty Saint Quartz on this shield, Müller? For all your visions, you are surprisingly inadequate at managing even the simplest of tasks." I made a point not to react to that insult. "While it is not possible with the current setup, the summoning site in Chaldea would allow you to do so, but don't go squandering the Saint Quartz to fuel some kind of addiction. The summoning system is pretty much a prototype and results should vary greatly from summon to summon, do you understand?"

Bending down, three of the Saint Quartz quickly found themselves placed on the inner circle of the shield. With a short bark of 'summon!' the gems began to glow, split into a familiar ring of lights, only to slowly begin spinning in a circle. As they accelerated into a ring of light, I held my breath. The moment of truth would begin now. The ring expanded into a single larger band of light before collapsing back in on itself. A craft essence. Eh, I always wondered how these things work. As the pillar of prana died down, a lone gold card could be seen hovering above the shield, waiting to be picked up. On closer inspection, it was lined with an array of golden highlights, especially around the edges. The face of it depicted a teenage Shirou Emiya in the process of projecting Kanshou and Bakuya. Well, I had pulled my first copy of the Craft Essence 'Projection'. While clearly not the best of it's kind, it would pair well with Emiya. Kind of ironic, really.

"Well that's not a Servant. Go ahead and try to summon at least one other before we run out of Saint Quartz, Müller. And hold on to that card, will you? Those cards are called 'Craft Essences'. They represent a glimpse of memories from a Servant that can be fused to any spirit origin to strengthen it in a particular way."

Nodding, I placed more Saint Quartz on the shield. Come on, Gacha! Don't do me like this now...

The first four summons were all Craft Essences. To my amusement, two of them had ties to Emiya. I now had Projection, Jeweled Sword Zeltrech, Reality Marble and Ath nGabla to enhance my Servants. While not bad, it wouldn't hurt to actually have some additional Servants in the first place.

The fifth summon was a different story. As the Saint Quartz spun and formed yet another ring of light, it expanded differently this time, separating into three individual lines, before they collapsed in a magnificent pillar of prana. A servant had arrived! While we waited for the light show to die down, I briefly wondered if I had even managed to summon anything. There was silhouette among the leftover prana to be seen! Despair began to set in, and I felt my shitty luck catching up to me, when a childish voice spoke up.

"Hello, Master. My name... Let me see... You can just call me Gil." I sputtered.

Had I really just summoned Kid Gil? As the rest of the pillar collapsed, it began showing the tiny form of young Gilgamesh smiling at us. One on hand, I wanted to jump in joy – finally a servant! And one I knew! On the other hand – It's Gilgamesh, even if it was his younger form, thus limited in power.

"Are you, uh, sure you don't want us to address you by your title?"

"Don't worry, Master. I told you to just call me Gil, right?"

Sighing in relief, I beckoned for the young boy to leave the shield, which he promptly did. As he got closer he began smiling up at me, and I wondered why there was a spark of mischief in his eyes.

"Hm, Master. Why don't you try to summon another one? I will allow it, you know? Something good might happen if you do." I finally felt it.

This is the Charisma the franchise keeps talking about. I felt myself following the instructions I were just given without a second thought and placed another trio of gems on the shield. If the boy with the power to see the future had ordered me to do so, then he surely had good intentions, right?  
Unless we are talking about Kiyohime. I would never be ready for her, and based on my experience with the game, I would soon find myself drowning in hazards to my health.

Compared to the previous summoning, the individual sparks of light began glowing with even more radiance, as they changed their color to a golden hue. Excitement flooded me, as they began to show the tell-tale movements of a rare summon. Finally a sign of luck! Considering the mechanics of the tutorial summon, this could be anyone from a select list. In the worst scenario I would find myself with a figure like Carmilla, Elizabeth or Stheno. If that were to be the case, dying would be much more likely. But on the other hand, I could summon my boy Siegfried or even Hercules. Any of these two, and the challenge would be over before it had even begun. Bless RNG, because here they come!

The prana faded much quicker this time, dispersing in a burst of golden light, as it revealed a silhouette of moderate height and feminine statue. She was around Mash's height, perhaps a few centimeters taller. This already ruled out my ideal Servants, but I would take what I was given, but when the Servant stepped out of the circle, I felt something die inside of me.

"I am one of the Tamamo Nine, the Wild Fox, Tamamo Cat! Nice to meet you, my Master!"

Why did it have to be the air-headed one? Give me the sadists instead.

* * *

**Footnotes:**

**(1):** German for "Oh, you son of a bitch."

* * *

So that's chapter two done. If you go back to the basic guidelines in chapter 1 and check the tutorial summon afterwards, you will notice that out of all the servants in there, you can only summon Emiya, Stheno and Tamamo Cat. Everyone else appears in the following singularities. And I am not even quite sure about Stheno. I always get her and Euryale mixed up, so I am unsure whether or not she made an appearance in Okeanos as well. Whatever, we got the Tamamo Knock-Off, which also gives me more excuses for comedy. Anyways, I'm out.


	3. Chapter 2: Trolls, Snakes and Dogs

After the objectively successful summons, the next thirty minutes were spent on introductions, planning, murdering people with a heated glare, coy smiles, as if you didn't pull the Fate equivalent of a rickroll on your Master, and skipping around, humming and barking.  
Honestly, if it wouldn't reflect back on me as the Master, potentially impact my health and the fact that it was Gilgamesh – even in his childish form – I would have punted the little shit with all my might. At first I was happy at summoning the blonde kid to my side, as he was my most used archer when this whole mess was still a game. But seeing his annoyingly innocent smile as Tamamo Cat did what she did best, being utterly insane by normal standards, made me somewhat regret my joy at summoning him.

I had recalled Emiya from his scouting mission a few minutes ago, hoping he would have mapped out a safe route for us to follow. I don't remember where the game started you in Fuyuki, but we had traveled a long distance in order to find the Director. Usually the story would make you head over the bridge and meet Medusa and Cu along the way, but I wasn't even sure if crossing the bridge was something that we had to think about. Since I knew about the cause of this singularity – Artoria Alter who was hidden in that one cave in the mountain – I could hope to end it quickly instead of running around.

On the other hand, there was the possibility of potentially messing with the order of things. While a lot of the singularity is spent taking in sights and teaching new players basic stuff, the local caster would help Mash with her Noble Phantasm. That in itself was another point to mull about for me. Do I tell Mash the name of the heroic spirit she fused with, or should I wait until she had at least managed to call upon her weaker version 'Lord Chaldeas'?

My thoughts were interrupted by Emiya appearing close to our group. Of course I had filled in everyone, including the absent Servant on my knowledge regarding the cause behind the singularity. The fifth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki didn't end in this timeline. The Masters had long since died, as did the humans who once lived here, leaving only a select few servants to duke out the fight as the dark form of Artoria kept guarding the prize.

"Master, it seems like your assessment of this singularity is true. The whole town has been the site of an unending battle between Servants. Most of it is either destroyed or up in flames. We are currently located to the west of the river near the residential district."

"Good job, Emiya."

Remembering correctly, this meant that we were actually pretty close to our final destination. Crossing the bridge would be a massive detour from where we would have to go. I snuck a glance at the Demi-Servant in the group. How much would change if we didn't head for Cu and instead went directly to the cave? The shadow-clad version of Emiya should still be alive, as well as Medusa. With Gil, Emiya and Tamamo Cat we should have enough firepower on our side to take down the two to the west without any problem. If, and only if, we should need even more manpower, I still had twelve Saint Quartz remaining, meaning another possible four Servants.

On the other hand the caster version of Cu Chulainn would be fun to have around as well as him bolstering our power without expending more of the valuable gems for now. Not to mention I would see Olga become a target for a bunch of skeletons. Am I vindictive? Yes, of course. My alignment based on the announcer from Chaldea had been chaotic neutral, not lawful good. If Dungeons and Dragons ever taught me something, it would have to be that my alignment meant I did stuff however I damn well pleased.

"Alright, here's the plan, folks." I got everyone huddled around the heat resistant blankets. "We will be taking a small detour to the bridge. There we will find the caster of this Holy Grail War, Cu Chulainn. He's too much of an asset to ignore, as he will be helping us out in our time here. Additionally, we will run into the lancer of this war. She's basically deranged at this point, so attack first, ask questions later. Emiya, you take the lead. You know where to go. Tamamo, you follow after him and try not to get distracted, please. The rest of us will bundle up. Mash, you move in front of me and the Director. If we manage to die, then humanity is fucked, so your priority is to keep us alive with your shield. Gil, you can roam around behind us, but make sure that we don't get flanked by the living dead."

Everyone outside of Tamamo Cat nodded at my commands. Olga looked like she wanted to take the lead, but remained silent. Maybe she realized that I was in control of the Servants, thus gave them their commands? Tamamo Cat just stared blankly for a moment, before closing the distance between us.

"Master! Shouldn't this cat be closer to you and take care of anyone coming too close, woof?"

Time to bribe this strange dog to get her to perform her task, I guess.

"Tamamo, if you follow this man right here, I'll make sure to get you a carrot once we make it out of here and are back at Chaldea, alright?"

The berserker had a glint in her eyes and began to drool at the prospect. Clearly, Chaldea should make efforts to acquire untold amounts of carrots for this person, lest we run into trouble.

"A man after my own heart, Master! You drive a hard bargain, but Cat will do as told!"

The girl, clad in the red outfit began dancing all over the place with a dreamy look on her face, as everyone else looked on with various emotions on their faces. Emiya looked focused, likely preparing mentally for his task. Gil still smiled, not the slightest bothered by the strange sight. Mash's face had contorted to form a mix between disbelief and nervousness at the upcoming travel, and poor Olga's face was one of terror and disgust.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." I deadpanned at seeing the director lose her composure over one of the more... strange Servants. "At least it isn't Spartacus."

God bless that hulking gray berserker, and may he never respond to my summons.

"With that out of the way, let's-a-go, people! This singularity ain't gonna resolve itself."

* * *

Our ragtag group of individuals were slow to progress through the demolished streets of Fuyuki. Myself and Olga were no doubt the cause for our sluggish pace. Neither of us had the abilities of the Servants to just run, dash and jump past obstacles. More often than not, Mash had to help us by carrying us over blockades and piles of rubble that would have slowed us down otherwise.

Thankfully Emiya and Gil took care of any enemies that might have blocked our path or snuck up on us with great efficiency. Having two archers is the best. The range and spread of their attacks allowed them to dispatch multiple hindrances from afar, leaving Mash and Tamamo Cat free to conserve their energy.

After a while of travel we finally managed to reach what I believe to be Medusa's territory. Slowly but surely statues of humans began popping up in our view, condensing as we got closer and closer to the bridge. Coincidentally, this also opened up the path, as signs of collateral damage, thus obstacles, lessened. But the closer we drew to the bridge, the more I felt at unease. With a silent signal I recalled the servants at the front. The Director shot me an inquiring gaze.

"Sorry, I really need to do my business for a moment." I sheepishly admitted. Ever since I had arrived in Chaldea I hadn't been to the toilet once. Neither the game, nor any fanfiction I had read delved into those aspects of humankind, but this was real and such were my needs.

The male Servants merely nodded at my admission, but I could feel the glare of the white-haired director digging into my back. Thankfully she didn't give our position away by another one of her tantrums. Telling the group to hold on for a minute I began my trek down a slope of grass that incredibly managed to survive the Holy Grail War, in a search for a good spot to relieve myself.

Turning around after my walk along the shore of the river, I scanned the area to look for foes and friends, who might disturb this daily human ritual. Seeing none, I began facing the river, aiming to do the deed. A marvelous experience, if I am allowed to say that.

The few seconds of respite I was allowed to have were cut short as I struggled to button up my pants. An object whizzed between my legs with such a high speed that I had to turn around to identify it.

It was an arrow.

Following the initial trajectory back to the other side of the river, I saw a skeleton standing there, bow in hand and it's jaw moving as if to mimic mocking laughter. Realization dawned on me. If this madlad had aimed a few inches higher my manhood would have been gone! Honestly. Fuck this skeleton in particular. Who aims for the junk of other people?!

Gil does, apparently, because his golden chains shot past me, crossing the river in an instant to pierce the bones of my attacker in all the _right _places.

"Are you okay, Master?" I heard the child asking from behind me.

"Yo, did you just get here, or did you watch me, in which case I'll let you know that I have a right to privacy."

The blonde child gave me a smirk and shrugged his shoulders. It seems like he followed me while astralized. To be honest, I couldn't blame him. If I were to die, humanity would be dead. In more than one universe. But why did he feel like he could sass me all the time? Kogil should be a meek, nice boy!

"It's a shame that Enkidu isn't here. His presence detection would have been useful." Wait a moment.

"Did you just say Enkidu?"

Gil never talked about Enkidu as far as my knowledge went. Even if you had both of them summoned to Chaldea. So why did he-

"You take Enkidu with you normally, don't you master? You invested a lot of time and resources into making him stronger."

Time stopped, as did my heart. In the game I spent more than enough time to max out my Enkidu. He was the first SSR Servant I had summoned and leveled to 90, making him a staple of my party. Could this mean?

"It seems you have realized what is going on, Master." Gil nodded sagely.

It seems like I managed to summon my own Kid Gil from the game? Wait. Could this mean I would also be able to summon Gramps? Having the king of the Hassans at my beck and call would be ten-outta-ten reassuring.

"Before you start rambling, Master, I don't think you will be able to summon the rest. When I felt you summoning a Servant, I made sure to answer to your call immediately. To be honest, like you, I know what's going on."

"I guess it has something to do with that 'Sha Na-Grub' or whatever it is called from your profile? So that means you will be the only one to know the truth. I won't ask for details, but does that actually mean you remember stuff from the game?"

This small conversation had just turned from a heart-stopper to a massive headache. Multi-verse and timeline theories weren't among my strengths, but apparently, going by his nod, Gil's.

"Yes. Though I can't say I miss farming the GUDA GUDA event."

"So, wait... does that mean that what I perceived as a game was actually real? Like some other universe or dimension type of thing? Also, everyone else did most of the work when it came to farming."

"Something along those lines. But I think we should head back now, Master. I can hear the others fighting, you know?"

Since he mentioned it, I could actually hear the distinct sounds of battle. The clangs of weapons clashing against each other could be heard faintly throughout the area. Gil didn't seem to be in a hurry, opting to leisurely stroll back to the road with his hands in his pockets. You could actually hear Olga-Marie cry something foul in the distance. Something about unreliable masters and not listening to superiors. Well, it's time to get this show on the road. But first.

"Since you are my Gil... why don't you just, you know, go ham on this singularity? I invested a lot of resources to get you to level 70. Fuyuki should be a breeze for you."

The blonde stopped in his tracks, turning his head over his shoulder to face me, a cocky grin adorning his face. Now that I noticed, he didn't wear his jacket. You know, the one he gains as you ascend him-

"Oh, Master, you summoned me anew, so I am not as strong as I should be. And I still remember you mumbling something about leveling Nobunaga so she can replace me. I think I'll have you work for it."

I raised my hand, index finger pointing upwards as if to argue and opened my mouth.

"Also, this isn't the game, so don't embarrass yourself by saying quick, buster and arts, Master."

* * *

The battle between my Servants and the attackers had ground to a halt when we stepped unto the battlefield. Most of the group turned their heads to look at me and Gil, as we casually strolled in. Mash was currently in a deadlock with a pale, purple haired woman clothed in a familiar, albeit skimpy dress. Despite cloaking her head in a cowl I knew her name. Emiya had his bow projected, and an arrow drawn to let loose at the tall woman. Tamamo, for all her loss of insanity, stood ready for battle, but was one of the few who glanced at me. The Director, god bless her, was sitting on her rear further away from the others, shaking like a leaf.

"Yo." I deadpanned, seeing the state of affairs. "I got lost on the road of life. But it seems you are doing well on your own."

Mash didn't seem to appreciate my imitation of Kakashi Hatake, as she struggled to keep the opposing lancer away. She growled and with a small boost of power pushed the woman away from herself. The lancer, not one to stumble quickly backflipped onto a nearby lamppost and began surveying the new arrivals.

"Senpai, this isn't the time for jokes. Orders, please."

"Well, Medusa over there's a lancer. Considering her speed, our best shot would be Mash and Tamamo. Emiya, you and Gil lay down supportive fire. Mash, make sure to focus on blocking her scythe. That's Harpe. If she lands a hit, you won't be able to heal the wound. So make sure to use that shield of yours."

Everyone nodded at my instructions. Since this was no time for games I had put on my serious-business-face. It would be our first real fight against another Servant and I would not let anyone get harmed due to my incompetence.

"You! How do you know my name?" The Gorgon sister shouted from atop her resting spot, clearly infuriated that she got exposed by some normie master.

"True Name Discernment EX+" I shot back. Couldn't let her know that I watched the movie. Apparently, some things weren't truly like the game. Usually you would face shadow versions of her, Benkei and Cursed-Arm Hassan. Or something along those lines. I can't quite remember.

The cloaked lady hissed in fury at my quip, gripping her scythe with more strength before vanishing in a burst of speed. The dangerous weapon would have sliced me clean in half if it wasn't for Mash jumping between us. Taunt successful!

"Tamamo, go for it!" I shouted from behind the shield. The berserker acted instantly, rushing at the lancer with ungodly speed, attempting to slash her in the side with her claws. To her dismay, the rogue Servant freed herself from Mash's shield and jumped away from Tamamo Cat. Emiya, ever the diligent archer followed up by firing his arrow at the airborne Medusa. With a flick of her lance, the woman knocked the projectile out of the air and landed with a skid.

The lancer quickly recovered and vanished from my view once more. My eyes couldn't track her movement at the pace she was setting. I could only hope my Servants could keep up. Medusa was always ridiculous when it came to speed, but this was outrageous.

Another attack against me was blocked by Mash with a resounding clang. Emiya reacted faster than our berserker and took a shot at the enemy who nimbly dodged the attack by propelling herself off of the shield. But before Medusa was able to regain her footing Tamamo slammed into her side with a war-cry, digging her ferocious claws into her torso, ripping parts of her already revealing clothing for even more fanservice. This was apparently a solid hit, because the lancer shrieked at the damage inflicted on her.

Sadly, this wasn't enough, because Tamamo found herself knocked back by the blunt edge of Harpe, flinging her a good few meters away in a daze.

"Why you little..." I heard the pained gasps of Medusa. "Dogs should be kept on a line."

Not sooner had she spoken those last words, snakes sprung up around us, separating our small group into individual pairs. Emiya and Tamamo were boxed in together by a dense array of chains, leaving them unable to act, as more chains formed around me and Mash. Only the sassy blonde kid that is Gil and Olga-Marie were not caught in any form of restraints.

"This isn't good." I mumbled, looking for a way to break out of this bounded field. Without Emiya or Tamamo able to interfere Mash would be unable to weather the coming storm of attacks, especially in the confined space we found ourselves in.

"Now, human, face your death." Medusa cackled from somewhere behind the chains, possibly readying a decisive strike against me. My taunt should have worn off by now! Go focus Tamamo Cat, or even the Director!

Heck, where's Cu when you need him? I'd expect him to congratulate Mash on a job well done and burn Medusa to cinders with a bunch of runes by now, but the caster didn't feel like gracing us with his presence.

"It's time to teach you some manners."

Gil had seen enough, I suppose. Behind us I could hear the famous sound of a number of portals phasing into existence. Disregarding my opponent I spun around to catch a glimpse of the child.  
He had lazily raised an arm as countless weapons slowly pushed out from the treasury of the king.

"**It's messy, but this is also a kind of strategy. Treasure is something that you use like this.**"

With a lazy wave the weapons began flying at the unseen Medusa from above the battlefield. A hail of golden light encompassed the surroundings, as the sounds of weapons impacting could be heard all around us.

"**Gate of Babylon!**"

Through the storm of weaponry I could make out the screams of Medusa as she was skewered by hundreds of noble phantasms of varying shapes. Surprisingly, the liberal use of his special attack didn't drain any of my prana. Now that I think about it. None of my servants seemed to use up any of my prana. Seems like Chaldea takes care of that, indeed.

Soon after the death throes of Medusa stopped, her bounded fields disappeared in motes of light, leaving us exhausted, but the winner of this encounter. The whole street was riddled with holes where Gil's treasures had landed, leaving me wondering about the actual strength of the servant.

If this was a freshly summoned Kid Gil without any boosts, then how strong would he be later down the line? Regardless, I let the blonde child know that I was pleased with his actions.

"Great job, Gil. Guess I can count on you after all. But man, that was your Noble Phantasm in it's weakest state? Can't wait to carpet bomb entire battlefields when I ascend you."

The boy just shrugged his shoulders as he looked at the damage he inflicted upon Fuyuki, not phased the slightest by my praise. After surveying the destruction he looked at me with a sparkle in his eyes.

"By the way, Master. I lied. I am at full power."

* * *

The next few minutes were spent with catching our breaths, calming down from the encounter and me chewing out Gil for his antics. While I wasn't too keen on him basically lying to me, I would have loved to know about his strength before we encountered the enemy servant. The little rascal just took my rant without any retaliation, probably dismissing me entirely. The others didn't mind my tantrum, probably because they didn't know the exact details behind it, just something along the lines of me berating a servant for being lax with his powers.

When I finally let Gil get some words in, he had waved his hand in a dismissing manner and told me that rather than going full power on the singularity, we should give the other servants a chance to prove themselves to me. His somehow raised a valid point with that. I had no clue how to enhance my servants this time around. Normally the player would just drown his servants in embers until they could get some fancy materials assimilated into them to raise levels.

Was it more akin to Pokemon this time around? Fighting and besting opponents yielding experience which your servants automatically gain in order to raise their powers? Who knows. Whatever the case, I saw Gil's point in not solely relying on him. While he could easily overpower everything the singularity had by himself, this would probably leave the other servants feel inadequate, or deny them the satisfaction of actually performing their duties. If I was summoned by a stranger to fight for something like the survival of humanity, I surely wouldn't want a brat show up all over the place.

On the other hand having the fully powered Gil would ensure our survival. It would only take him a few good hits before even Artoria Alter bites the dust. Perhaps he could even solo Lainur later down the line, but I would not risk it. Demon God Pillars are heckin' strong, and beating up shitty Lev would give us away as more of a potential threat. Well, at least I could rely on Gil if shit hit the fan.

Our small break near the bridge was interrupted by slow clapping coming from down the road. There, in between two demolished cars materialized a man in robes. His blue hair styled into a long ponytail was bringing out his red eyes and silver earrings. The accompanying staff was tugged into the crease of his elbow, to not fall over as he congratulated us in a sarcastic manner.

In an instant, everyone but me and a certain troll were on guard. The unknown server had managed to sneak up on our group undetected. Well, unless you count me and Gil knowing that he will arrive ahead of time. Seeing that my servants were ready for another round of combat, the caster stopped clapping to wave his hands in a placating manner.

"Woah, hold on there for a second. I was just congratulating you on your victory, I didn't come here for a fight. Well it wasn't bad for an inexperienced master, but you have to praise Missy there for protecting you, ya know?"

He was right. And I turned to Mash, while pulling Gil close and patting his head. It was a bold move on my side to pat the king's head, but modern problems require modern solutions.

"He's right. Good job everyone, especially you two."

If he was annoyed by the gesture, the blonde child didn't show it, but Mash beamed at my praise. I guess small praise comes a long way for her.

Hold on a second there. I wanted to turn back to Cu to begin the conversation and to make him join the team, but unfortunately something caught my eyes amidst the dust of Gate of Babylon. It couldn't be!

A big, fat grin appeared on my face as I began jogging towards the battlefield we just left. Behind me, I could hear Cu make a noise that was a mix between a sigh and a gasp. Who just jogs away from a stranger, exposing their back? I do, suck it. For there – amidst the ashes and rubble, craters and rocks I could see them – Saint Quartz. The silver-white crystals sparkling with the colors of the rainbow were half buried among the remains.

Stumbling across the destroyed street as a mediocre human was to be expected. But there would never come a time when I dismissed my currency for rolling the Gacha. I dropped myself into the ashes where I had seen the gem and began digging with my bare hands. This would leave me looking like someone who just exited a mine, but who cares. This world wouldn't allow me to waste my hard earned cash on virtual stuff. And survival was a top priority. More Saint Quartz means more rolls. More rolls equal more servants. More servants equal more ass-kicking. You get the drift.

The Director could be heard screaming from the rest of the group, demanding to know what the hell I was doing in the dirt when another servant could just attack us. She got her answer when I pulled the spiky ball of mineral out of the ground and held it aloft for everyone to see.

"This, Director. There be Quartz here, and I ain't doing shit until I got 'em all! You guys can talk for all I care. Especially you. Just an hour ago you told us to follow your commands, as the director and all that. So you'll take care of business while I do the dirty work, alright?"

Tamamo giggled at my enthusiasm for quartz and joined me in the craters, pointing out Quartz I had missed. Olga would surely be gaping at my bold declaration, or fuming, because there wasn't an instantaneous reply. Instead I could hear Emiya mumble something about getting stuck with strange masters.

"Daniel Müller, once we are back in Chaldea, consider yourself fired!" Ouch. Did I just get fired from my job by a girl my junior? Well who cares. Me and Tamamo already found five Quartz. Who would have guessed that enemy servants drop loads of the good stuff?

* * *

After finding a surprising amount of seven gems, and ruining the remnants of the area in the search, Tamamo and I returned to the rest of the group who had seemingly finished their conversation. If the close proximity of Cu was anything to go by, the talk had been a success and we would now have another servant to bolster our admittedly, small, ranks.

I climbed out of the holes looking like I hadn't seen a shower in weeks, but my shit-eating grin and the Quartz clutched in my arms made my loss of hygiene a small price to pay in comparison. Emiya was somewhere further away, scouting the area for intruders, while Mash and Olga held a conversation with the caster servant. Gil was moderately close to me and Cat, looking at my dirty form with a furrowed brow, obviously not pleased at me covering myself in soot.

"Look at this. Seven Quartz. That's two summons. I'm back at twenty-two of these suckers, and ready to summon some more!"

"At least your master's enthusiastic about his gems, girl." Cu chuckled at my outburst.

Olga deigned it appropriate to shoot me a deadly glare, probably wishing for Lev to come to her rescue. I couldn't blame her, to be fair. From what she had seen, I was just an eccentric German commoner who got roped into a situation he only knew how to manage because of dreams. Hopefully the soon to be revealed secrets of the Leprechaun won't break her feeble mind. I already knew what was coming. Altered Emiya as a Shadow Servant. Artoria Alter who is going to be Excaliblocked by Mash, and if needed, absolutely destroyed by Gil. And Lev himself who will try to toss the Director in the core of Chaldea after bending space-time. To be honest, I wasn't sure how to stop the last one from happening. Perhaps I could order any of my servants to hold the delusional girl back, or at least have Gil pull her back with his chains?

Those sort of things I could think about later, because right now I would make a provisional contract with Caster Cu.

"So, what did you guys talk about?" I asked them, hoping to receive a summarized report without any surprises.

Spoiler alert, there were no surprises. Cu asked me to enter a contract, because Olga was not able to become a master. Additionally, he would try to help Mash unleash her Noble Phantasm and join us in our quest to win this Holy Grail War and fix the singularity. I agreed to the pact without a single hint of hesitation. This seemingly surprised the blue-haired man. He probably didn't expect me to trust him so easily, especially after digging through the dirt.

Anyway. We formed our contract and he formally introduced himself as Cu Chulainn, the Child of Light. In my mind I was becoming a fanboy, but on the outside I posed calm and collected, despite my muddied appearance and earlier outbursts of excitement.

"_Hey, Emiya? Can you come over here for a minute?_" I called through my mental link to the archer. Said man instantly appeared close to me in his typical stance with his crossed arms. If we didn't share the exact same height it would probably be an imposing sight, but considering he would become the most protective of servants outside of a... few... peculiar ones, I couldn't help but scoff internally.

"You called?" he asked, and I mentioned towards the newest addition to our group, to whom he glanced before turning his attention back towards me with a small, almost unseeable scowl. Here goes my hope that he won't recognize or remember Cu from the Fifth Holy Grail War.

Time to clench my butthole, because the request I was about to make would probably grind the collective gears of Unlimited Blade Works.

"Err, I know you can project weapons... Noble Phantasms among other things... would you mind tracing a copy of Gae Bolg?" God have mercy on me.

Lancer Cu is superior to the Wikkaman, fight me. But I had read my share of fanfiction where a certain hero of justice had traced the famous spear for the caster. If he had access to runes and his spear, then he could kick some serious butt. Imagine a combination of Wicker Man and Gae Bolg. How would that even look? Cage them in an over-sized Voodoo Doll and then skewer them with the undodgeable-though-writers-make-it-dodgeable-for-plot-reasons-spear? And then explode in a glorious explosion with a smaller explosion because Emiya and broken phantasms and stuff. Jesus, Mr. Torgue would be proud.

"I am not too keen on the idea to give a stranger a weapon, I will do as you say, Master."

"Hey, I don't know how exactly you want to summon my spear, but I would be thankful if you did. Your master's got the right idea. I prefer a spear." the Irishmen argued, as the Japanese servant closed his eyes to think. Poor Emiya, being stuck with versions of Cu Chulainn and Gilgamesh this early in our adventure. And then being ordered to become a 3D-printer for one of them? Couldn't blame his hesitation and lack of enthusiasm.

"Don't worry, if he tries to hurt master I will rip him apart, woof!" Tamamo Cat barked from beside me and Cu Chulainn turned around with a comical expression of rage.

"Don't mock me and call me a dog, will you!" he shouted at the female Servant, pointing a finger at her. I held out my arm in front of my... chaotic-stupid servant in a protecting fashion. Can't have the team fall apart before the singularity does.

"I'm sorry for my servants remark, Cu, but she says woof as her catchphrase or something. Don't mind her, please. She's a berserker."

"I am the Wild Fox! Tamamo Cat!"

Fuck, why did it have to be Old McDonald's farm cramped into a single body and slapped with a madness enhancement? This is why masters can't have nice things. And whoever decided that 'Berserker' is a valid class for a servant should be gunned down. Yes, they are strong, but if Cat was any indication, annoying as hell and frustrating to deal with. I hope my E-rank luck wouldn't make me summon anyone with an EX-rank madness enhancement. Otherwise all would be lost.

The tension between the servants was diffused when Emiya relented and projected Gae Bolg for the caster, after which he promptly vanished in motes of blue to resume his scouting duties. To further help with the situation I told Tamamo to spearhead the group back towards our initial camp. It was time to summon some more.

We arrived at our destination later than anticipated as some skeletons had managed to round up and form new groups of enemies for us to shatter in the wind. They weren't any danger to any of us, but they impeded our advance back to our camp by a few minutes.

Once we arrived, most of us began relaxing on our blankets once more. The fights and walking had taken their tolls on me and Olga especially. Unlike the rest we weren't servants with unlimited stamina. I had the experience of working in a shop, leaving me adapted to standing and walking around for large amounts of time, but the Director was clearly not used to trekking large distances and whined about the circumstances in her usual fashion – blame everyone else.

Thankfully Dr. Romani told us to take a break to rest and recover, as well as take a meal. He rayshifted some more provisions to our location, which appeared on top of Mash's shield, and the three of us began our picnic among the ruins of Fuyuki.

The servants either hovered around us, sometimes looking for a conversation or went out to check up on our surroundings. Cu spent his time getting comfortable with his spear, going through forms in the small clearing, proving to be as proficient with the lance as his counterpart, despite the lack of access to the weapon. Obviously the robes would hinder his movement a bit, but considering that we had a group of five servants he wouldn't exactly need to be at full strength.

I on the other hand was nibbling on my provisions with my mind drifting. Should I summon another servant? In the game you could have six with you at any moment. Emiya, Mash, Gil, Tamamo and Cu were merely five total, so another one would not break any rules of the game, if they were to be accounted for in this... reality.

With a shrug, and a shriek of disbelief from Olga, I placed a trio of the gems on the shield in front of me.

* * *

Read this, please.

There is some changes to the rules I laid out in chapter one of this story. First and foremost, some servants who appear later in singularities can be summoned before they appear in the original story. Like Tamamo Cat. That's an accident because I totally forgot about her existence in one of the earlier arcs. Additionally, you can **vote for a servant you want to be summoned**. I'll check how many are calling for a certain servant and review whether it makes sense to include them or not.

Anyway, this chapter's shorter than the first two, because I was busy as hell being lazy and working on my DND campaign.

Furthermore, I am thinking of skipping large parts of the rest of Fuyuki singularity, because it's an absolute dump of exposition that doesn't add anything of value for anyone who remotely knows their way around the universe of Fate. Secondly, there isn't anything of value left outside of the very end of the singularity, also known as Beat Emiya, Alter and have Olga be incinerated. I don't feel like writing tons of dialogue for boring situations like Cu teaching Mash how to Lord Chaldeas by tagging Olga with a rune of misfortune.

I want this story to move back to Chaldea ASAP, so we can enter the most juicy phases of this story: What's a man gotta do in Chaldea when everything's gone. And slice of life between servants and the antics of a master who knows more about them than they'd like.

With that said. I'm out.

P.S.: Spellcheck wants me to replace "Nobunaga" with "Bungalow".


End file.
